Shattered Truths
by KarinaKamichi
Summary: After Team Seven's return from the Land of Waves, Naruto becomes depressed as he remembers his last conversation with Haku. Childhood memories begin to haunt him, and his teammates are informed of his past. They promise to make up for the way they had treated him. Naruto's father is revealed. How will this event change the original story? AU Story line. R&R. Submit a Character.
1. Slipping Reflection

**Story:****_Shattered Truths, Chapter 1_**

**Summary:****_After Team Seven's return from the Land of Waves, Naruto becomes depressed as he remembers his last conversation with Haku. Childhood memories begin to haunt him._**

**Disclaimer: ****_I don't own Naruto_**

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_Konoha Gates_

Approaching the gates, Naruto jumped ahead.

"I'm starved!" He proclaimed. "Sakura-chan, d-do you want to go on a date later? I'll pay for dinner."

"Why the hell would I want to eat with _you_?" Sakura jeered.

"Forget it...I'll catch you guys later!" Naruto shouted, as he ran off.

_'That's strange..._' Sakura noted, as she watched him running. She had noticed he had given up too quickly after she turned down his offer. Ever since Haku's death, Naruto had been acting somewhat _strange_. She pondered it for a second but decided to forget about it. Kakashi and Sasuke seemed to notice as well, but didn't think that much of it either.

"I've gotta go give my report on the mission. Make sure to meet me at bridge tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM sharp. Well, bye bye now." Kakashi said, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Sakura sighed, but then wondered if Sasuke was still there.

"Sasuke-kun, I..." She trailed off into silence, as she looked behind her. Discovering he was gone, she screamed so loud, it caused a flock of birds to fly off.

_Ichiraku Ramen Shop_

"One bowl of Spicy Pork Miso!" Naruto grinned.

"You got it!" said Teuchi, then paused, as though he'd remembered something.

"Say, didn't you just get back from a mission?" he wanted to know. Naruto looked up at him, and smiled.

"Yeah, I did."

"Tell ya what, I'm gonna give you another bowl for free! Take it as a compliment for completing your first mission." Teuchi said, chuckling, as Naruto's smile was even bigger now.

"Now that's what I talking about!" He exclaimed. Ayame giggled, as she got the ingredients for the ramen.

"If it isn't Naruto. I thought I might find you here." someone said from outside. Naruto looked behind him curiously, recognizing the voice, for it was unmistakable.

"Iruka-Sensei!"

"I was gonna ask how your mission went." Iruka explained, taking a seat.

"Oh," Naruto said smiply. "Okay."

He told Iruka about Zabuza and Haku, the battle at the bridge, Tazuna, Inari and everything else. He had finished off the first bowl, and started on the second. Iruka studied him, chuckling.

"It sounds like you had good time." He assumed. Naruto nodded.

"Haku was alot like me..." Naruto noted, as he stared down at his bowl. "Even though he had parents in the beginning, he ended up on the streets, with no friends. Nobody wanted him, nobody liked him... He was like an unwanted child. Zabuza was the first one to show him any kind of acknowledgement. After that, he decided that was his life's purpose, was to serve Zabuza...If we would've met each other somewhere else, I think we could've became friends..."

What Naruto said left Iruka speechless, for he didn't really know _what _to say. Naruto finished off the second bowl, deciding he was full. Iruka cocked an eyebrow at the fact Naruto had already decided he was full. He usually gobbled down three or four bowls before claiming was stuffed. '_That's strange_...' he thought.

"You're already full?"

"Yup." Naruto answered, taking out his froggy coin purse to pay for his food.

"I'll pay." Iruka offered, as he stopped him and asked for the bill. When Teuchi showed it to him, Iruka gave him the money to cover it.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei." Naruto smiled. Iruka nodded, saying it was fine. They talked a little while longer, before getting up to leave.

"I'll see you later, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted, waving as he ran off. Iruka chuckled, watching him run_.'You'll become a wonderful ninja, Naruto... I believe in you...' _he thought to himself.

_Naruto's Apartment_

Laying on his bed, Naruto pondered Haku's last conversation with him.

_*Flashback_*

_"My purpose...in all the world...there was no one that needed me...I was unnecessary..."Haku said. Naruto's eyes widened. 'Just like me...'he thought._

_"Why is it you're so determined to become Hokage? Because you want everyone to look up to you and acknowledge your existence...It's only through the eyes of others that our life has meaning. When there is no body who sees you, nobody who will even look at you, it's as if you do not exist_. _Then Zabuza came and looked at me, his eyes weren't full of hate nor fear...He didn't shun me for my strength. Indeed my special powers were just what he wanted. He made me necessary again..." Haku said, sadly._

_'I have failed you Zabuza...I am like a broken tool that can no longer be used...' He thought, walking towards Naruto, who backed up in fear._

_"Naruto...Kill me." he said, sternly._

_*End of flashback.*_

"He was a lot like me..." Naruto said to himself. "I wish we could've became friends...I could've helped him...I had the same experiences as him. I was criticized, glared at, I had no friends, no purpose. Most people wouldn't even look at me...until Iruka-Sensei came along. Could I have turned out like him...? I wonder..."

Naruto stared at some of the insults that villagers had painted all over the walls. There were insults like_'Demon' 'Monster' or 'Beast_.' He smiled sadly, remembering how the children use to stay away from him. He would always set in the swing by himself. No one ever wanted to play with him...

Holding back tears, he remembered the things different people had said to him in the past.

_"Daddy, who's that?" A boy asked._

_"He's a Demon. get away from him." A man said, holding the boy's hand, as he pulled him away._

_"You filthy wretch, stay away from my child!" A woman screamed, as she slapped the young blond._

_"Can you imagine what would happen if he became a ninja? I mean, he's the-" A girl whispered, only to be interrupted by another._

_"Shh, were not suppose to talk about that."_

_"Nobody wants you!" A man spat, slamming the door in Naruto's face._

_"Why don't you just go and die!?"_

_"Monster!_

_"Get lost!"_

"I won't let this stuff get to me!" Naruto shouted. "No...I _can't _let it get to me..."

He made his way to the kitchen to get some water. While drinking it, he started to realize how thirsty he really was. He hadn't drank anything all day, due to just getting back from the wave mission. Throwing his cup in the sink, he walked back to his bedroom. As he sat down he tried to think of positive stuff, rather than negative. With no success, he lied down. Soon after, he fell asleep, with one thing on his mind. The thoughts of his battle with Haku.

_-The Next Morning-_

_Naruto's Apartment_

Falling of the bed, Naruto hit his head on the corner of the dresser. He sat up, holding his head as he whined.

"Ow...That hurt..."

Looking out the window, he noticed it was still dark. It was only about 4:00 AM. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

"There's no point in going back to bed..." he grumbled, as he got up. Turning on the light, he undressed, throwing his pajamas on the floor. He put on his orange jumpsuit and made his way to the kitchen, but didn't eat. He wasn't in the mood to eat much of anything, so he sat at the table, day dreaming for about five minutes before deciding to take a walk. Getting up from the table, he walked outside and stood there for several minutes. Then he headed towards the bridge.

Along the way, he passed a drunk man, who knocked him down. The man dropped the bottle that he had been holding. The glass shattered, and pieces flew everywhere.

"Heyyy youuu, waatch where you're gooooing..." The man slurred, as he tried to get up.

"Yeah, yeah..." Naruto muttered, as he walked off, leaving the drunk man on the ground.

_At The Bridge_

Naruto leaned against the railing of the bridge, as he gazed up at the sky. Seeing the stars, he gave a small smile. '_Such a peaceful morning..._' He noted. Then the thoughts from the day before were flooding his mind again. He had tried his best to forget them, but the thoughts wouldn't go away. If anything, trying to forget it made him remember it even more. The thoughts he'd had the day before made him _wonder_. Now they were upsetting him.

Naruto set down against the railing, holding his knees against his chest. He spent the next thirty to forty minutes watching the Sunrise. The sun was about half way up meaning it was somewhere from 6:45 to 7:30 am. Finally, he broke the silence with a loud sigh. _'I wish we could've became friends...' _was he final thoughts, before his teammates arrived thirty minutes later. He saw them in the corner of his eyes. Getting up, he waved at Sakura, who surprisingly waved back. Sasuke only sneered and looked away.

"How long have you been here?" Sakura wanted to know.

"Since about 5:20 to 5:30 AM." Naruto answered. Sakura raised an eyebrow, for she never would've expected Naruto to actually wake up_that early_.

"Why were you up that early?" She questioned, worryingly.

"I fell off my bed..." Naruto muttered, getting a smirk from Sasuke. Naruto shot him a glare that caused him to scowl. Sakura observed both of them, immediately knowing what was going to happen next. '_Here we go again..._' she thought, sighing.

"Something funny,_Sasuke_?" Naruto hissed.

"Why can't you two get along?" Sakura nagged. Naruto and Sasuke's ears twitched, and their glare grew even more vicious than before.

"WHAT?! With _him_? There's NO way I could get along with something like _Sasuke_!" Naruto retorted.

"The only reason you can't get along with me, is because you're jealous...You know it's true...I'm stronger, and smarter than you'll ever be...You're just a insolent, loudmouthed idiot that does things with out thinking...You're impulsive, and annoying...You're just like Sakura, you only get in the way." Sasuke said, simply. Naruto looked at the ground, clinching his fists. He knew everything Sasuke had said was true. But he wouldn't allow Sasuke to bad mouth Sakura. That was going _too _far_._

"I don't care what you have to say about me...but don't dare insult Sakura-chan!" Naruto said. Sakura looked at Naruto in shock. _He actually cares? _She wondered.

"And what if I do?" Sasuke asked, calmly.

"You'll regret it..." Naruto warned.

"Why would I regret telling the truth? Actually, the only thing I've ever 'regretted' is being on your team."

Naruto clenched his fists, deciding what to do. _Should I kick his ass, or should I keep my mouth shut? _He asked himself. He suddenly felt the urge to do the smart thing. To not get involved in an argument.

"Forget this, I'm not wasting my time, arguing with a jerk like you. It's not worth it." Naruto decided, as he leaned against the railing of the bridge. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. _Was Naruto actually giving in? _Sakura had noticed this as well. She couldn't believe it. Naruto would _never _give in, especially not while arguing with Sasuke,_so why...?_

Kakashi suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke, on the rail behind Naruto, interrupting everyone's thoughts. "Yo."

Sakura and Naruto faced him, with a demonic look in their eyes.

"YOU'RE LATE!" They shouted in unison, pointing at him with their index finger. Sasuke scowled, looking away, an obvious irritated look in his eyes. "Hmph." he grunted.

"Sorry guys, I'm afraid I got lost on the-"

"THAT'S A LIE!" Sakura and Naruto exclaimed, interrupting him. Kakashi sighed, as he gave in. '_I didn't even get to finish my sentence...' _He thought, pretending to sulk_._

"Sensei, what are we doing today?" Sakura asked, curiously.

"For starters, Iruka has asked for some help. A few of his students have hid somewhere in the village and he needs you to find them. You'll meet up with Iruka at the Ninja Academy. Be sure to report back to me after you're done, even if you can't find them. See you later." Kakashi explained, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Come on, let's get this over with." Sasuke muttered, as he began to walk ahead. Sakura followed behind, but Naruto was left behind, staring at the ground with thoughtful eyes. Again, he was day dreaming about the loneliness and pain he had been through as a child. Everyday had been a struggle for him, until someone finally excepted him for who he was. Iruka was his first friend. He would gladly give his own life to save Iruka. Haku had felt that way about Zabuza and _did _sacrifice himself.

Sakura looked back, surprised to see to see Naruto just standing there. She saw his usual icy blue eyes were now cold, dark, and filled with sadness.

"Wait." Sakura whispered. Sasuke grumbled, but decided to stop. He turned around shocked. He had never seen Naruto look so depressed. He was always so happy. He was always smiling. But now he looked as if he was on the edge of breaking down. Sakura slowly walked over to Naruto, hoping she wouldn't startle him.

"Naruto...?"

Naruto quickly looked up, at the sound of her voice. Darting back, He prepared to grab a Kunai, when he saw who it was.

"Oh, It's you..." Naruto sighed in relief.

"Are you okay...?" Sakura asked worryingly, as she noticed he was trembling.

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me." Naruto assured her, as a huge smile appeared on his face.

"Okay, if you say so." Sakura nodded, but was unsure. _'There's no way he's fine, he's been acting strange ever since we've returned to the village.' _she concluded. She pondered it for a minute, but then decided it was best not to worry too much until after they'd completed their mission. She looked up to see Naruto staring at her strangely. Her patience immediately began to grow short.

"NARUTOOOO! STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!" She shouted, as she punched him in the face. He was barely able to choke out, "Wait, Sakura! I didn't mean to-" The punch threw him several feet back. Naruto sat up, as he wined, rubbing his face.

"Ow...Sakura-chan, why did you do that...?"

"WHY DO YOU THINK I DID IT!?" Sakura retorted.

"Jeez..." Naruto muttered, sulking as he got up.

"You guys, we need to go, we're wasting time." Sasuke said, interrupting their thoughts.

"He's right, we need to go." Sakura agreed, as she ran up ahead. Naruto brushed off his pants, then followed them.

_The Ninja Academy_

Iruka stood at the Academy waiting, as Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto appeared, startling him.

"Sorry if we're late, Sensei." Sakura apologized, panting. "We got held back a little."

"I thought you'd never come." Iruka said, smiling. He chuckled.

"Anyways, could you explain the mission?" Sasuke asked. Iruka reached in his pocket, taking out three pictures. He handed one to each of them. Naruto stared at the picture for moment. It was Konohamaru.

"Heyyy, it's that the brat from before. Isn't his name Konohamaru, or something?" Naruto asked.

"Yes their names are Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon."

Sakura had Udon, And Sasuke had Moegi.

"Your mission is to find these kids and bring them back here. I'm counting on you."

"Right!" Sakura responded.

"Got it." Sasuke replied.

Naruto said nothing, he just stood there staring at the picture._Why won't these thoughts go away? Why couldn't he ignore them? Why did they bother him so much? _

"Naruto...?" Iruka said, very much worried.

"Huh...?" he half-whispered.

"Are you alright...?" Iruka asked.

Naruto decided he couldn't hold it back anymore. It was like when you want to cry, it feels like you have a lump in your throat. Naruto felt that way, only it was alot worse. A mixture of anger and sadness swept over him. Suddenly, he threw down the picture.

"DAMN IT ALL! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" He cursed, as he ran off.

"Wait, Naruto!" Iruka called. "Damn..."

Sasuke's eyes were wide with awe. He was shocked by Naruto's actions. Sakura was as well. They had never seen Naruto get upset like that. He was always so happy, he was always smiling no matter how bad it got. Iruka was pondering the situation; Naruto was very unpredictable right now. He could hurt anyone, including himself. And if he were to release what was inside of him, the whole village would be in great danger.

"Sasuke, go report to the Hokage, and Sakura, go report to Kakashi!" Iruka ordered. However they didn't budge. They both wanted to know what caused Naruto's outburst._Was it something they had said to him? Could something have occurred during the wave mission that upset him? If not, what? _They wondered. They wouldn't leave until they knew someone was going to check on him.

"What about Naruto?" Sakura asked, worryingly.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him. Now go!"

"Right!" Sasuke and Sakura replied, as they ran off. Iruka darted back in the Academy. Storming in the classroom he announced that class had been canceled for the day. He smiled for a moment as the kids cheered. But it faded quickly and he was on his way to Naruto's apartment.

_-End of Chapter-_

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**_A/N: What'd ya think? Hope u liked it. REVIEW!_**


	2. The Truth Revealed

_**Story:**____**Shattered Truths, Chapter 2**_

_**Disclaimer:**____**I don't own Naruto...**_

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_With Sasuke..._

Sasuke was approaching the Hokage's office, pondering Naruto's actions that day. _'What could have caused him to snap like that?' _He wondered. _'Could it have been something to do with the wave mission?'_

Sasuke had noticed a rapid change in Naruto's behavior, but he'd had too much pride to admit that he was even _slightly _worried or that he _d__id _notice.

Sasuke knocked on the Hokage's office door.

''Come in.'' Sandaime said, sighing. Sasuke stepped in, closing the door behind him. Sandaime smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

''Ah, if it isn't Sasuke.'' he smiled.

''Hokage-sama, I need to speak with you.'' Sasuke said.

''Speak your mind.''

''Iruka sent me here to give a report on Naruto. I don't know what upset him, but when we were about to start a mission, he shouted something then ran off. Iruka went after him. That's all I know.''

The Hokage's smile faded after hearing this.

_'Has he__finally snapped?' _he wondered, sadly.

Sandaime had known Naruto ever since he was very little. So he was aware of his mask. Naruto had always tried to hide his pain and suffering from everyone else by acting foolish and pulling pranks. He did it because he didn't want the sympathy from others. He had always tried to get through things on his own, never relying on the help of others for anything. He sighed.

''Thank you, Sasuke.'' he replied. "You're dismissed."

Sasuke was headed toward Naruto's apartment, when he spotted Kakashi and Sakura. Coming towards them, he made certain his facial expressions showed no sign of being worried or frustrated. His normal, calm, unemotional, I'm-better-than-everyone-else look appeared on his face. Kakashi gazed up, after feeling his presence. Sakura did as well.

"He knows." Sasuke notified them. Sakura shook her head.

"Kakashi knows as well." she responded. There was a moment of silence in which Sakura opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Kakashi.

"You two need to report back to Iruka, but first, I need to tell you something. I'm not suppose to talk about it, but as Naruto's teammates, I think you two should know." He said, as he walked towards a bench that was near the Hokage's mansion.

"Set down." he instructed, pointing at the bench. Sakura was the first to set down, followed by Sasuke. He attempted to set on the opposite side of the bench as Sakura, but she quickly scooted over right next to him.

"I'd rather stand..." He grumbled getting up.

"Have either of you heard of the Nine-Tailed Fox?" Kakashi asked them, thinking they probably had. A blank expression appeared on Sakura's face, as she recalled something.

"Oh, you mean the one that nearly whipped out the village around twelve years ago?" She questioned. This caught Sasuke's attention. He had heard of the Nine-Tailed Fox and the damage it had caused to the village. He had also heard about the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice, but didn't know much more about it.

"Yes..." Kakashi answered.

"Didn't the Fourth Hokage sacrifice himself to kill the Nine Tails?" Sakura asked. Kakashi looked away, biting his lip underneath his mask.

"No..." he admitted with an icy tone, that caused them to cringe. "The truth is...the Fourth Hokage didn't '_kill' _the nine tails; he couldn't. Even with his power, it was impossible to completely get rid of it. So with the last of his strength, he used a forbidden technique to seal it inside his newborn son, Naruto..." Kakashi explained. There was another moment of silence, only this time it was longer, and would give you an uneasy feeling on your stomach.

"Why...?" Sakura sobbed. "Why would he do that to his own son...?"

Kakashi sighed, not able to find the right words to explain it.

"Let me sum it up," he said. "He believed that by sealing the fox inside of Naruto, he would be able to overcome it's power and use it for something great. He believed that Naruto would bring peace to the Shinobi world. It's sort of like a child of prophecy."

"So if that's true, shouldn't Naruto be regarded as hero?" Sakura asked, confused.

Yes...But the villagers don't think of it that way. As you remember, a lot of lives were took that day, including Shinobi and random villagers. So when people see Naruto, they see him as a demon, not as a person. Naruto has had a worse childhood than you could probably ever imagine. He's been beaten, ridiculed, ignored, told to get away, and shunned for something he couldn't control. He has no parents, so his first 'true' friend was Iruka, and you're about the only other friends he has. Your opinions mean a lot to him. Saying things that you would think wouldn't offend him, could really get him upset. Just think about that the next time you're about to fuss at him. Oh, and whatever you do, don't let anyone know that I've told you this." Kakashi warned, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura was staring at the ground, thinking about Naruto and how bad she'd treated him. She now knew why he had such big mouth. He was trying to get people to notice him. That must have also been why he was always reckless and pulled pranks. She had known that he had no parents, but never knew that had went through that much suffering. That's when a brief flashback came to mind from when she was only sixor seven years old.

_**-**____**Flashblack -**_

_She stood in a huge crowd of villagers, holding her mother's hand. People around her were whispering amongst themselves, and pointing fingers. The pink haired girl couldn't help, but notice the glares, and looks of fear in some of the people. She managed to move just right so she could see what they were talking__about._

_Up ahead, she spotted a__mere child probably about her age, walking through the streets. He skipped through the streets, a cheerful smile plastered on to his face. He had__bright blond hair could challenge the sun any day. _

_She had seen him once before, when she went to pick up something for her father. He was setting by himself on a bench. It looked like he had tears in his eyes, but then her thought changed when she considered that it was probably just the light._

"_There, do you see__him...?" she was snapped out her thoughts, as she__overheard a__woman next to her whisper.__ "__It's that boy..." _

_'He's just a child...' thought Sakura. 'but they glare at him as if__he's some kind traitor to the village...'_

_Before she could think about it any longer, she was abruptly__pulled away by her mother._

_**- End of Flashblack - **_

_'Naruto...'__Sakura_ thought. '_If I'd only known...'_

Sasuke sat, his mind flooded with a mixture of guilt and shock. He wished he would've been at least little nicer to Naruto. He had always insulted him, and called him names, not knowing, or even stopping to think that, just _maybe, _Naruto had been through a lot more than what he'd thought. He had noticed Naruto was always smiling, and never once wanted the sympathy from others. '_But why...?'_he wondered. '_Why would he hide his feelings like that? It makes no since...' _He wanted to make it up to Naruto, but didn't know how. _'Damn, if it I'd only known...'_

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_**A/N: What did you think? Review.**_


	3. Pain of the Unknown

_**Story:**__** Shattered Truths, Chapter 3**_

_**Disclaimer: **__**I don't own Naruto**_

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_Naruto's Apartment_

Iruka stood at the door to Naruto's apartment,.

"Naruto?" he called, pushing the door, as he realized it had been left open. He looked around at the condition of the house, as he noticed there were a couple of holes in the wall, a window was shattered in the back, graffiti on the walls with things like _'Demon!' 'Monster!' _or_ 'Why don't you just die._ He stopped dead in his tracks, as he saw Naruto laying on the floor of the kitchen, staring at the ceiling with a dazed expression.

'Naruto...' he mused with concern, as he took notice of the dried up blood on the boy's knuckles, which signified he'd been punching something._ Something hard._ Crouching down beside him, he faced his student. They sat in silence for the next few minutes, as he studied his face. He could easily tell he had been crying. His eyes were red and swollen.

''Iruka-sensei...'' Naruto murmured in a dead, emotionless voice, as he continued to stare at the ceiling. Iruka looked at him with tears in the corners his eyes.

''What is it, Naruto...?''

"_Kill me..._" Naruto muttered, barely loud enough for Iruka to hear. A cold chill ran down the teacher's spine. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. Following it, a long eerie silence settled between the two. He was utterly shocked. The boy who never gave up, _WAS_ giving up. _What could've upset him to the point of this...? _he wondered. He shook his head, for he would _never_ kill Naruto. He would rather die, himself, than have to kill _any_ of his students.

"Why...?" he choked. "Why would you-"

"It was my fault." Naruto interrupted, answering the question he'd been about to ask.

"_What_ was your fault...?" Iruka question, however, there was no reply. Naruto mumbled something beneath his breath, when there was a sudden knock on the door. Iruka looked up, asking who it was.

"It's us." Sakura answered from behind the door.

"Come on in!" Iruka invited them in, still observing Naruto from the corner of his eye. Sakura stepped in first, followed by Sasuke. They both stopped, noticing the damage that had been done to the walls, the insults that were were painted, and the shattered window. They also noted that there wasn't much that Naruto owned besides his clothes, his bed, the little food he had, and the small brown table in the kitchen, which looked as if the paint was chipping off.

Sakura studied her teammate in pity. She now realized that villagers were not only ignoring him and insulting him, but also they had also been taking his stuff, and damaging his home. Sasuke looked away, not paying attention to the look on his face. In fact, he _wanted_ Naruto to know that he was sorry.

"Damn it..." the blond muttered, turning over. He couldn't bear to face the, for he was afraid of them insulting him, or that they would be mad at him for ruining the mission. He buried his head beneath his arms. Iruka gently placed his hand on Naruto's back, hoping it would calm him down. Sasuke slowly sat down, followed by Sakura. They sat in silence for several minutes before Sakura broke it.

"Naruto...Kakashi-sensei told us about the Nine Tails..." she said softly. "He told us not to tell anyone that we knew, but we think you should know."

Naruto's clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his skin. _Damn you, Kakashi! _

Iruka's eyes widened._ You told them! Kakashi, you..._

"I finally beginning to realize how much you must've went through. I hadn't even stopped to consider how much you could've been suffering...You've never had that many friends, so our opinion must've meant a lot to you...I'm so sorry..." Sakura apologized sincerely.

Another moment of silence. Sasuke then came to the decision that he needed to speak too.

"Naruto... I have admit. I've never really considered your feelings. All I knew was that you had no family, which was the exact opposite of me. It wasn't until just now that I realized something important. Losing friends and loved ones is painful, but the absence of knowing what it feels like to _have _loved ones hurts even more. To have that warmth, and reassuring comfort. It lets you know that people are there for you, and that there's someone who cares. For that to be absent, the extent of your suffering has proved to be greater than even my own... I...apologize for what I've said..." he finished softly.

Naruto seemed to grow a little less tense, seeing that they understood the way he'd felt, but it didn't last long, as there were still so many questions going through his mind. Some of which he knew they would _never_ be able to answer.

Iruka was aware that he needed to report to the Hokage about everything that had happened, but wasn't sure if it was safe to leave Naruto alone with only two Genin.

"Sasuke, Sakura, I need to go speak with the Hokage about something, do you two mind staying here until I get back?" he asked. Sasuke and Sakura looked up, nodding.

"Yeah..." Sasuke replied.

"Of course." Sakura added.

_~End of Chapter~_

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**A/N:**** Hope you liked it review :3 **


	4. Growing Fear

**Story: _Shattered Truths, Chapter 4_**

**Disclaimer: _I don't own Naruto_**

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Hokage's Office

*Knock! Knock!*****

Sandaime glanced up, automatically knowing who it was.

"Come in!" He said, inviting Iruka in. Iruka came in, noticing the solemn look on the Hokage's face.

"I suppose you've heard."

Sarutobi nodded sadly. "Yes..."

There was a moment of silence, which was broke by Iruka.

"He doesn't want to live. Something needs to be done quickly, or he could..." He trailed off in silence, not wanting to think about what could happen. He knew that Naruto was capable of alot more than people thought he was, whether it being bad or good.

The Hokage knew he was right. In his state of mind, Naruto could hurt someone; anyone, including himself.

"Where is he?" he wanted to know. Iruka looked up. Scratching his head, he smiled nervously, cursing beneath his breath. He knew the Hokage wouldn't be happy once he found out Naruto was alone with two Genin.

"In his apartment..."

Sandaime's eyes widened. _Oh no!_

"Alone?" He asked, alarmed.

"No, Sasuke and Sakura are there." Iruka corrected him. The Hokage sighed in slight relief. At least _someone_ was there. He thought for a moment, then got up. As he walked towards the door, Iruka asked where he was going. He stopped, looking back.

"I'm going to Naruto's apartment...I need you come with me." He explained. Iruka only nodded, following him...

Naruto's Apartment

They had been silent for what seemed like hours. Sasuke and Sakura were deep in thought. Sakura was regretting the way she had treated Naruto, and Sasuke was trying to figure out what had upset him. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't know what to say, Nor did Sakura.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when Sasuke raised a hand to silence her. He mouthed the word 'wait,' then turned to watch Naruto. Sakura listened and did the same. Naruto sat up, holding a Kunai, as he gazed at them from the corner of his eye. Sasuke stared at him, concerned.

"Naruto, why do you have a Kunai?" he asked. Naruto didn't answer. He either didn't hear, or he was ignoring him. He continued staring at the Kunai, stuttering beneath his breath.

"Naruto, did you he-" Sasuke was cut short when suddenly, Naruto stabbed himself with the Kunai. He was caught off guard, so he didn't have enough time to react, and nor did Sakura. She let out a shriek as Naruto fell unconscious, dropping the Kunai. Sasuke quickly rushed over next to Naruto.

"Shit." he cursed, examining the wound. "That_ idiot_!"

Sasuke looked around for some cloth, when he noticed a white pillow case that was ripped. It was lying against the wall

"Sakura, get that pillow case over there." He ordered. Sakura nodded, and did as told. When she'd handed to him, he wrapped the pillow case around Naruto's chest, where the wound was, making certain it was secure. He picked Naruto up, carefully laying him over his shoulder. Getting up, He ran out the door, saying, "Sakura, we have to go!"

Sakura wordlessly followed behind...

~End of Chapter~


	5. Bonds of Sorrow

**Story:_ Shattered Truths, Chapter 5_**

**Disclaimer:_ I don't own Naruto._**

* * *

_Konoha Hospital_

Sasuke barged in the hospital doors, calling for help. Everyone turned around to see what all the commotion was about. A female nurse, who happened to be walking by, rushed over.

"What happened?" she asked, referring to Naruto. She knew he been injured, due to the fact Sasuke's shoulder was soaked in blood. Sasuke gazed around the room, noticing all the stares they were receiving.

"I'll explain later." He whispered. The nurse nodded.

"Follow me." she said walking off. Sasuke and Sakura stayed for a moment, then followed behind. The nurse led them down the hall to room number eighty six.

"Lay him on the stretcher; I'm going to get a medical ninja." She stated, before stepping out of the room. After a moment of silence, Sasuke walked up to the stretcher, carefully laying Naruto on it. He stepped back, stretching his arm in an attempt to loosen the joint of the shoulder Naruto had been laying on. Soon after, two Medical Ninja appeared, followed by the nurse.

"This is him?" one of them asked, as he stepped up to the stretcher.

"Yes, sir..." The nurse replied. Then the medical ninja carefully unraveled the cloth.

"Do you know how it happened?" he asked, staring at the wound. The nurse shook her head no.

"No sir, but these two do," she replied. "They're the ones who brought him here."

Both medical ninja turned their attention to the two Genin. "What happened?"

Sasuke sighed, knowing it wouldn't be easy to explain why he couldn't stop Naruto from doing what he did.

"I don't think I should say. Lord Hokage needs to know first." He reasoned.

That was a good enough answer for the Medical Ninja. One of them held Naruto's wrist, feeling the pulse.

"I'll be back later..." The nurse said, slipping out. Then the Medical Ninja began working on Naruto's wounds. Sasuke and Sakura said nothing, waiting patiently, hoping for the best...

_Twenty Minutes Later..._

"We've managed to close the wound," One of the Medical Ninja explained, as he finished wrapping a bandage around Naruto's injury. A moment later, he warned them, "However, he'll have to be careful. There's no promise it will stay closed."

Sasuke heard, but didn't respond. Neither did Sakura. They just stayed quiet, feeling guilt-ridden. It was their fault Naruto had done what he did. They had failed to stop him.

"Sakura...," Sasuke whispered, catching Sakura's gaze.

"Yeah?"

"Kakashi-Sensei needs to know about this... Iruka too... Go and let them know. I'll stay with Naruto."

"Right..." Sakura replied, as she got up, stepping toward the door. She looked back at Naruto, her friend, one last time, before she walked out the room.


	6. An Old Man's Folly

**Story:_ Shattered Truths, Chapter 6 _**

**Summary: _No Summary. Just read it. (It was re-uploaded) _**

**Disclaimer:_ I don't own Naruto..._**

* * *

_With Sakura..._

Sakura ran towards the Hokage mansion as quickly as she could. Coming to a halt, she spotted Kakashi, who was -_ as expected_ - reading his perverted porn novel. Surprisingly, Iruka and The Hokage were there as well. They were standing by Shushuya, the Chinese restaurant down the road from the Ichiraku Noodle Shop. They gazed up when they saw her coming.

"Sakura, what-" Iruka started to ask, but was cut off by Sakura.

"Naruto's at the hospital!" she cried. Iruka's eyes shot open, as did Kakashi's. The Hokage simply sighed.

"What happened?" Iruka demanded.

"I need both of you to come with me, I'll explain on the way!" she told them. Iruka and Kakashi glanced at each other, then nodded, knowing who she was referring to. Then they looked at the Hokage, as if for approval.

"Go on..." he said. "I'm going to stop by later. There's something I need to take care of first. Besides, I don't think Naruto needs alot of company right now..."

Sakura nodded understandingly, and before anything else was said, the three took off, making their way to Konoha Hospital.

_With Sasuke..._

_How could I've been so selfish...? _He asked himself, in the midst of frustration._ I never stopped to consider how much you could be suffering. I never stopped to think that maybe, you were hiding your feelings. That maybe, you goofed off, and pulled pranks so people would notice you. That maybe, you needed a friend..._

"Excuse me." an attendant introduced herself, interrupting Sasuke's thoughts. "My name is Omi, I'm one the attendants. Can I get your friend's name?"

"Naruto..." He replied softly, then added, "Naruto Uzumaki."

"Thank you." Omi said kindly, as she stepped out the room. Sasuke turned his gaze back to Naruto. He Getting up, he quietly walked over and stood beside his stretcher. He studied the blondes face, the destressed look it held. Then, very slowly, he reached up, gently tracing over Naruto's whisker-like scars with the tip of his index finger. _These marks of his... I've always wondered where they came from..._

Soon after, Sasuke heard the door slide open, already knowing who it was, but glanced up anyways. Sakura was the first to come in, followed by Iruka, then Kakashi.

"I told them what happened..." Sakura informed him. Sasuke nodded, then backed up, leaning against the wall. Iruka stopped, a couple feet away from Naruto's stretcher. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Naruto groaning in his sleep. Everyone turned their attention to the blonde.

"I didn't do it!" he cried, half asleep, as he quickly shot up.

"Naru..." Iruka trailed off into silence when Naruto faced him. He edged back. Naruto's eyes were no longer blue; they were red.

_End of Chapter._

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_**A/N: Naruto will not stay in demon form very long; it's just temporary. **__I re-uploaded this chapter. I hope it's better. Please review_


	7. Ice in Your Veins

**Story:**_** Shattered Truths, Chapter 7**_

**Summary:_ Naruto finally reveals why he's upset. That's all I'm gonna tell ya *hehe*_**

**Disclaimer:**_** I don't own Naruto...**_

* * *

_Konoha Hospital_

Iruka stood, frozen in fear, as he stared into Naruto's eyes. Kakashi prepared to attack. However, the red soon faded, and Naruto's eyes turned back to normal. Iruka sighed in relief, as did Kakashi. Gazing around the room, Naruto immediately knew why they were all there. He looked down, letting his bangs cover his face.

"Sasuke...Sakura..." he muttered. Sasuke and Sakura both looked up, surprised by the fact he hadn't used 'chan' when talking to Sakura.

"Which one of you brought me here...?" he asked, in a pained voice. Without hesitation, Sasuke replied.

"It was me..."

"Why...? Why would you want to save _me_? Aren't I just a pest...? A loser...? The Deadlast...? A dumbass...? You shouldn't have saved me...I wanted to die, I-" Naruto was cut short when Iruka slaped him in the jaw, practically knocking him off the stretcher. Naruto looked up, completely shocked by his teacher's actions. Everyone else was surprised as well.

"How could you say that?" Iruka demanded, choking back tears. "_Why_ would you say that...?"

Naruto continued staring at him, unable to keep from trembling. Iruka stared back with concern, which was something Naruto couldn't stand. Iruka's expression softened, as he saw the look in Naruto's eyes. It were filled with confusion and anger.

"I...I couldn't...I wasn't able to..." he mumbled, looking down.

"You couldn't _what_...?" Iruka asked.

"I couldn't...save him..."

"_Who.._.?" Sasuke questioned. Naruto hesitated to speak. He knew they would think of him as a total idiot for letting himself get upset over something_ that_. Afterall, Haku had almost killed Sasuke.

"Haku..." He finally answered. Sasuke was utterly shocked.

"_Him_? Why would you care about someone like that? He almost killed me. He's a monster. He-"

"You're wrong..." Naruto argued. "He was like me...He had parents in the beginning, but...he ended up on the streets in the end. Nobody wanted him; nobody liked him, just because of a special power he had...Zabuza was the first one to aknowledge him. He found use of that power. After that, Haku decided that his purpose in life was to serve and protect him...While you were passed out; During Kakashi and Zabuza's fight, Haku concluded that he was of no more use to Zabuza, and asked me to kill him...I wasn't able to stop him from sacrificing himself. Haku and I could've became friends...But..." He trailed off in silence.

Everyone stayed quiet, for they . Iruka understood Naruto's reasoning, and why he felt that way. It was because Haku's past reminded him of his own. It brought back memories he'd tried to forget. It made him remember how lonely he had been as a child; made him remember the beatings and insults he'd recieved. Iruka could definately understand, and he could somewhat relate. But what could he say? _It'll be okay? Cheer up? _No, it would take time for him to recover from something like this, and, to do so, he would need his team. More importantely, his friends.

"I think I can understand..." Sasuke concluded, after thinking for a while.

"I believe I can too..." Sakura added.

* * *

**A/N: _This had to of been the worst place to end this Chapter. But review anyways. I crave comments. Besides, I want to make this chapter better._**


	8. Confessions Apologies and Promises

**Story: **_Shattered Truths, Chapter 8_

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Naruto..._

* * *

_Konoha Hospital_

"What do you mean you understand...?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I understand why you're feeling this way..." Sasuke answered. "It's because he brought back memories that you'd tried so hard to forget. He made you remember how lonely you used to be; You knew his pain. You knew what he'd been through; The insults, beatings, glares. You experienced pain that was probably far worse than even my own..."

He hesitated before continuing. "I've never stopped to consider how much you could've been suffering. I never even once thought that the reason you goofed off and acted like an total idiot was because you were trying to hide your frustration. You wanted a friend; someone you could trust... I can tell there are very people you hold close. Very few people you truly care about. As much as you hate to say it, our opinion means a lot to you... We should've been kinder. _I _should've been kinder...and it's too late for me to apologize, but I'll definitely find a way to make up for it. I swear I will..."

Sasuke's speech startled everyone, including himself. He didn't know where the words had came from. He didn't know what gave him the courage to say them. But he DID know one thing. He would act on those words, and keep his promise. He would make up for the way he had treated Naruto, no matter _how_ long it took. He would earn his trust. He would make certain of it.

"I can't say I know true loneliness is like..." Sakura began. "I've always had a family, and I've never lost anyone close. So I couldn't even _imagine _what it must've been like. First, to be hated by so many people, for something that wasn't even your fault, to be glared at like a plague...and to be called awful names, such as demon, or monster. Second, you even don't know _why_ you're treated that way. Then, to top it off, you have no one to turn to. Not a friend. No family. No one to trust. Then, a few people come into your life that you _do_ look up to. You respect them, but they look down on you. They treat you badly, and insult you. They call you a pest... No one deserves that... I regret everything I've done to you... As Sasuke said, it's too late for us to apologize, but I promise I'll make up for it..."

Sakura seemed satisfied with what she'd just said. And she was also surprised. She had never expected to be able say something like _that_. However, she _too_ was determined to keep _her_ promise. She knew it would take some time, but, no matter how long it _did _take. No matter _what_ it took, she was going to earn his trust, and be kinder. She was going to think before insulting him. Think about his feelings. Think about the consequences. She would make certain of it.

Naruto thought for a moment, but could say nothing other than, "Thank you..."

Sasuke and Sakura slowly nodded. "You don't have to thank us. Remember, we're a team. More importantly, we're your friends..."

_~ End of Chapter ~_

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**A/N: ****_Sorry it's so short and ooc. It's so hard to copy Sasuke's personality. Review._**


	9. Memories

**Story: _Shattered Truths, Chapter 9_**

**Summary: _This is mainly just a small overview of Naruto's life._**

**Disclaimer: _I don't own Naruto, though see no point in telling you that._**

* * *

_Konoha Hospital_

A long, dead silence had filled the room. Nothing was said since the two genin spoke. Not a sound was uttered. Naruto was trapped in his thoughts, as he remembered his childhood. He remembered how everyday had been a struggle when he was alot younger, and how it got harder as he got older. When he was a little kid, he was protected by the Hokage. The only thing they could do back then was glare at him. But, as he grew up, he was no longer under the Hokage's control. He was, as everyone else, required to fend for himself. However, at times, that could be very difficult, considering how hard it was to find a store that didn't have signs up, prohibiting 'animals' or 'demons.' Alot of the store owners would kick him out for just being there. There were very few who would even let him come in. And the mojority of those few sold him only the worst products. He was lucky if he could even get a decent Apple, or a dual Kunai.

At about the age of eight or nine was when the beatings began. Villagers would drag him off into an alley or forest, and do terrible things to him. They would kick him, hit him, and scream at him about how he was a demon, and that demons didn't deserve to live. There was even a couple of occations that he'd been raped, each time being on his birthday. His birthday was always the worst day of the year for him. On those days, they left him for dead. But fotunately, an Anbu somehow always found him in time, and alot of the ones who hurt Naruto ended up severely punished.

Several people wondered how Naruto could still be alive, let alone sane. Shortely after he turned ten, He'd began pondering his own existance. He wanted to know why people glared at him like they did. And why they hated him. Due to the Villagers, he started to give in and believe he was nothing but a demon. That was, until that incident with Mizuki and him occured. Once Mizuki had revealed everything, about the fox and the Fourth Hokage, he believed him. He believed he was the demon. It all made since. Until Iruka proved him wrong.

Ever since that day, he decided would become Hokage, so that people would finally look up to him. They would think of him as somebody important. As the greatest Ninja that ever lived. A hero.

But then that dream began to seem impossible. Would they ever him see as a hero, rather than a demon? He didn't know. Would they ever fully trust him to control the Nine Tails Chakra? He didn't know. Would he ever be able to prove himself to villagers? He didn't know that either... Hell, he didn't know anything anymore... And he might never understand. It was just too confusing...

He was immidiately brought back to reality, as he felt something warm trickle down his cheek. That's when he realized he'd been crying. Soon after, everyone else realized as well. "Naruto...?"

* * *

**A/N:_ Sorry it's been so long since my last up date. Several things were stopping me. First, I couldn't think of a good way start it off. And second, we just moved. Plus, we're going to be cutting off internet at the first off the month, so It may be quite a while before I upload the next chapter. None the less, I will upload it. :D I won't have wifi here, but I WILL at McDonalds. Anyways, I just wanted to let my story followers know, I AM GOING TO UPLOAD THE NEXT CHAPTER. I hate it when people discontinue a really good story. It just ticks me off. :C ~_**_**Remember, review! I need alot of ideas. Thnx.~**_

**PS: _I'm thinking about creating another Naruto fanfiction soon. It's going to be a High School fic, but needs to be unique. I'm wanting some really good ideas for it. If you think of something, please PM me, Thnx :)_**


	10. Foolish Malice

**Story:**_** Shattered Truths, Chapter 10**_

**Summary:**

**Disclaimer:_ I don't own Naruto..._**

* * *

Konoha Hospital

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Sakura questioned, as she stepped towards him, only to be stopped by Sasuke's hand. Naruto tried his best to find the words, but couldn't. He just looked down, trembling, as he let his bangs fall in his face. He hated people seeing him cry. He felt like it made him look weak. He thought people would look down on him if he did.

"I'm...sorry..." he mumbled, barely loud enough for them to hear. Everyone stared at him bewildered.

"_Sorry...? _" Sakura repeated, with a mixture of concern and confusion. "Why would you be sorry..?"

"For causing so much trouble..."

Sakura stepped towards the streatcher, startling him. She couldn't stand it any longer. She couldn't stand to see him like that...

'_What is she doing?' _Naruto wondered, glancing up. _Was she going to punch him...? _

He was just about to prepare to protect himself, when Sakura quickly embraced him, crying. Silence filled the room imediately. No one said anything for several minutes. They were all taken by surprise.

"Don't worry, It's fine..." she assured him. "You haven't caused any trouble, but If you ever try something like that again...I don't know what I'll do... You hold Team 7 together. So If we lost you, our team would be shattered..."

Naruto, nervous at first, returned Sakura's embrace. Meanwhile, Kakashi stood, speechless, trapped in his own thoughts. He was happy that Sasuke and Sakura were willing to accept Naruto, but at the same time, he was frustrated, because, of all the people he'd met, Naruto should've been one of the most important people to him. After all, that was Minato's son. No, it was his _Sensei's_ son. He was left with the responcibility of teaching Naruto, and being a role model for him. But what did he do instead. He just set back, reading his book while Naruto was suffering. And the only one he'd wanted to train was Sasuke. The special one.

"Kakashi..." Iruka whispered, startling him.

"Yeah...?"

"The Hokage needs to know about this...and he might want to see you... someone here at the hospital needs to know what happened so the nurses can keep an eye on him." Iruka explained. Kakashi simply nodded.

"Sasuke." Iruka said, interrupting his train of thought.

"Huh?" Sasuke responded, as he turned around.

"Kakashi and I need to talk to the Hokage. We may be gone for a while. So I'm leaving him in your care. Will you be okay...?"

"Yeah..." Sasuke nodded.

"Alright then..." Iruka said simply, soon after, facing Kakashi. "We've gotta go."

"Right."

Iruka was about to step out the door before seeing the expression on Naruto's face. He seemed so lost.

"Oh yeah, Naruto, we've got to take care of something. But I promise we'll come back later." Iruka said.

"You mean it...?" Naruto asked. Iruka gave a small smile, as he answered.

"Of course..."

Soon after, Iruka stepped out of the room, followed by Kakashi, who said nothing. They walked half way down the hallway, before spotting a nurse. She was writing something on a paper, possibly a form, that was attached to her clipboard

"Excuse me," Iruka spoke, getting the woman's attention. She gazed up, wondering if he was talking to her.

"Yes?"

"I'm Iruka, and this is Kakashi. His three students came here earlier. One of them were injured, and unconcious. I don't think anyone knows what happened."

The nurse thought for a moment, turning to Kakashi, then suddenly recalled something. "Is one of your students named...Naruto...?"

"That's him." Kakashi replied.

"Yeah, there were two other people with him in earlier. I only met one of them, though he didn't give his name. What excactly happened...?"

"It's a long story, but, to keep things short, he attempted to take his own life..." Kakashi explained. "However, We don't want to overwelm him by keeping him under constant surveillance. But we can't be too safe either. All we're asking, is for someone to momentarily keep an eye on him..."

"That's fine," the nurse said. "Do you have the time to fill out some forms regading Naruto?"

Iruka scratched the back of his head. "Actually, we were just on our way the see the Hokage."

"Oh! I'm sorry." she apologized.

"We'll be coming back later though. Can we fill them out then?"

"That'll be fine." She answered.

"Thank you." Iruka said, giving a small smile. The nurse nodded before walking off.

"Now then..." Iruka muttered. "Lets go..."

Kakashi nodded, as they were on their way again. But, little did they know, quite a few people had been listening to their conversation. Mainly villagers. But there were a few others. Most of these people despised Naruto. They couldn't even stand to look at him. They had left him for dead in the past, but an Anbu Black op had found him in time, and they were severely beaten by order of the Hokage. Now they had the perfect opportunity. Soon, they would have their revenge. One smiled diabolically at the though of it.

* * *

**A/N:**_** I'm planning on redoing this Chapter eventually because Kakashi and Iruka were SO OOC! IT SUX! And it's too short. But, please review for both this chapter and give me ideas for the next. I REALLY NEED THEM. Oh, I'd like to give credit to the following people for giving me some good ideas and opinions.**_

_**1. blue-hart**_

_**2. Reishin Amara**_

_**3. The Keeper of Worlds**_

_**4. mysticmoon1331**_

_**AND last, but not least,**_

_**5. XxXLexxibabeXxX**_

_**Again I NEED reviews. If ANYTHING comes to mind, (Ideas for next, or coming chapters.) Share it with me, I don't care how bad the idea sounds to YOU, I still want to hear it. Anything, and I mean ~ G,~ will help :) THNX P **_


	11. The Discovered Plans

**Story: _Shattered Truths, Chapter 11_**

**Disclaimer: I do _NOT_ _own Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, or any of the other characters. However_,_ I DO own this story, but that's all._**

* * *

_The Hokage's Office_

Iruka and Kakashi had just delivered the news to the Hokage, who looked down solemnly.

"He's not safe." Iruka spoke up, catching his gaze. "Someone should stay with him..."

"Who are you suggesting...?" Sarutobi wanted to know. Iruka's eyes darted to the side unsure. He, himself would've been willing to take care of Naruto, but didn't think the Hokage would allow him to, due to the possibly of the Nine Tails' Chakra leaking out and not being able to suppress it. "Um, I..."

"It would have to be someone he knows, like you, or..." Kakashi trailed off into silence, as if he was remembering something, then whispered, "His team..."

The Hokage thought for a moment, saying, "Yes, his team..." Then he slowly stood up, saying nothing more until he was at the door. "I'm going to visit him. I want you two to come with me."

Kakashi and Iruka could do nothing but listen, as they followed him out the door.

* * *

_Konoha Hospital_

"Sakura, I'm going to get something to eat." Sasuke said. "Could you stay with Naruto?"

Sakura looked up and nodded. "Of course."

Sasuke was just about to leave the room, when he glanced at Naruto. "Is there anything you want me to get you...?"

Naruto gazed up, not sure if the question was aimed at him or not. Seeing that it was, he was tempted to said yes, for he hadn't eaten since the day before and was feeling slightly sick. However, he didn't want to be a burden. He shook he head, avoiding eye contact. "No thanks, I'm fine..."

Sasuke and Sakura studied him in disbelief. They knew he was lying. They could tell by the look on his face that he was _not_ fine. They were aware of the fact that he hadn't eaten since around the time they got back back from the mission; When he said he was going to the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke questioned.

"Y-yeah, I'm sure..." Naruto reassured him, but Sasuke was still not satisfied, even moreso than Sakura, but he kept his mouth shut, replacing his comment with a nod, as he stepped out of the room. Walking down the hallway, he couldn't help but note the absence of nurses and attendants, which was very strange, since that hallway was normally the busiest area in the whole building. He got to the end of the hallway, before stopping, when he overheard some people talking around the corner.

"Didn't you hear?" one said, snickering. "The Nine Tailed_ brat_ tried to commit suicide."

"And he survived." Another one added.

"So sad," The next one stated with obvious sarcasm. Sasuke felt his blood boil, but reluctantly kept quiet, as he listened.

"That damn kid..." a fourth one cursed. "Why doesn't he just die? He deserves it. So many people were killed back then, and all because of _him_."

"Yes, the world would be a lot better without him. He's a risk to everyone around him." the first one agreed.

"Now, why don't we go pay him a visit?" The fourth one chuckled.

"And finish the job he started." The first one replied. "I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

Sasuke could tell were quite a few of them, and knew it was better to take Naruto to a safer place, rather than get killed and not be able to defend him. He didn't have a lot of time, but just enough to make it back to the room. He ran back as fast and quiet as possible, hoping, practically _praying_ he wasn't seen by them. Darting in the room, he announced to them, "Sakura, Naruto, we've got to leave, now!"

Sakura and Naruto stared at him in confusion.

"_Leave?_" they replied in unison. "Why are we leaving? Where are we going?"

"I explain in a little while, there's no time right now. C'mon!" Sasuke told them. They simply nodded, for they could tell by the tone of his voice that this was serious. Sakura quickly jumped up. Naruto got off the bed, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his chest, as he clutched it very tightly. Sasuke studied him for a moment, remembering his wound. He knew if he didn't do something quick, they would be in trouble.

"Naruto, jump on my back!" He offered. Naruto would've normally turned down the offer, but wanted to avoid any possible conflict. He did as told and got on Sasuke's back, making himself comfortable. Sasuke hopped out the window, which was fortunately open. Sakura quickly followed behind, as they made their way to a place only Sasuke went...

_~End of Chapter~_

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**A/N:**_ **Sorry this is so short, but I'm even MORE sorry it's took so long to update. I don't get to use my computer very much anymore. Chores, drawing requests, school, being grounded for things my little brother doesn't get done. Anyways, I hope you guys are liking my story so far. PLEASE REVIEW! I NEED IDEAS, IDEAS, AND MORE IDEAS! Seriously, folks. Even if the idea doesn't sound good to you, who knows? It might sound good to me. So please share them. Thnx :)**_


	12. Revealations

**Story: Shattered Truths, Chapter 12**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Konoha Forest_

"Sasuke, where are we going?" Sakura asked, as they passed through the training grounds.

"The Uchiha Compound," Sasuke answered, jumping onto a tree limb. "It's the safest place I can think of. However, we've got to hurry. They could catch up."

"_Who?_" Naruto questioned. "Who could catch up? Who are you talking about?"

Sasuke said nothing for a while, as he thought it over. He hadn't even seen their faces, so he didn't really know who they were.

"I don't really know who they are, all I _do_ know," he said, glancing at Naruto. "is that they're after _you_."

Naruto gulped. A cold chill made it's way up his spine. He looked at Sasuke, then up ahead.

'Why...?' he wondered. 'Why is it always me...? Sasuke is risking his own life because of me...'

"Sasuke..." he muttered. Sasuke gazed at him, noticing the troubled expression on his face.

"Hm?" He murmured. For a long moment the blond was silent. Then, softly, he asked, "Why...? Why are you risking your own life for me? Those people aren't after you, It's me they want. If you left me, you wouldn't have die. They'll kill you if you get in their way."

"They won't," Sasuke insisted. "because If they _do_, I'm taking them with me."

This ended the conversation. Naruto wanted to say something, however, he didn't know _what_ to say. He just kept quiet, as his sun-kissed hair blew in the wind. He didn't know why, but he had the feeling he would always remember this moment. Not only that, but he would charish it. It vaguely reminded him of the day he was tricked into going into the forest, soon after a battle had taken place. He was injured, and passed out. He remembered waking up as Iruka was carrying him. The wind, as it blew in his face. That was also the day that their friendship started to form, just like a blossom beginning to bloom.

"Sakura, get back!" Sasuke yelled, as he knocked Sakura out of the way of the senbon needles that were throw at them. Sakura's shrill pulled Naruto from his thoughts, as he quickly looked up. A mischievous laugh rocked the forest.

"Quick on your feet, brat. However, can you dodge this?" The voice questioned with a deep, icy tone. Then, with no warning, more Senbon neetles were thrown at them, appearing to be coming from all directions. Sakura sat, watching from behind a tree, as she trembled in fear. Sasuke jumped back as quick as possible, landing on a tree branch behind him, managing to escape the needles just in time.

"Tell me, who are you?" Sasuke demanded. There was no response, but then, a big, muscular man with long orange hair jumped down from the tree branch he'd been standing on. He had on a black coat, no shirt though, and a white pair of pants. His sandals were light shade of black. His cold, loathsome, hate filled black eyes met Sasuke's, causing him to grow tense. Sasuke could tell, just by looking into the man's eyes, that he'd probably faced death more times than the average Shinobi had. He knew this because he'd seen it in his own eyes.

"My name is Koma Yurasaki. I assume that you're Sasuke Uchiha." the man answered.

"Yeah, what of it? What do you want? Why did you attack us?" Sasuke replied. Koma looked down for a moment. Then he glared at Naruto with hate filled eyes.

"It's a long story, but to put it short, we're here to avenge our family and clan. The disaster that took place twleve years ago, was all because of _him_." he spat with venom, as he pointed a finger at Naruto. "That _demon_ killed our family; he took the lives of some of our best friends and loved ones. For that, he must not be allowed to live."

Naruto was preparing to surrender, for he didn't want Sasuke and Sakura to get hurt, or possibly killed because of his selfishness, and his will to live. Until Sakura spoke.

"You're wrong!" she shouted. Naruto eyes widened. "Naruto's not the demon that's sealed inside of him. He only keeps it at bay. Naruto wasn't able to say no to the Nine Tails being sealed inside of him. It was completely out of his control. Answer this, have you forgotten what the true difference between a monster and a person is?"

Koma stayed silent. Naruto stared, speechless, as Sakura continued with frustration.

"I thought so... A demon doesn't care for the sakes of others. It only thinks of destruction. Naruto's a person, and one that's very special. He cares for his comrades, and will do anything to protect them. He's got a gift, the gift of...persistence, will power, and courage. But, even more than that...It's understanding other people's pain; He knows loneliness. You should do the same. Have any of you ever wondered how _he_ might be feel? He's suffered ever since childhood, and all because jerks like you want to insult him, glare at him, beat him half to death, vandalize his stuff. And over what? Something that wasn't even under his control?"

"Tch...What is it with you people?" Koma spat. "Why would you care for that monster? Especially you; the only survivor of the Uchiha Massacre, to go so low as to protect some Jinchuuriki. A beast. A freak. The person who took the lives of many villagers, not to mention, the Fourth Hokage,_ his own father_."

Naruto froze at the man's last words. They hit him harder than bricks. He could no longer focus on what was being said. He was completely zoned out. 'My Father...was the Fourth Hokage?' he mused. "More importantly...he's dead because of that stupid Nine Tailed fox inside of me?"

"Naruto!" someone called, startling him. He immediately recognized the voice.

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled, eyes wide, most likely caught off guard, as he looked behind him.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, as he jumped off Sasuke's back, almost loosing his balance. Turning around, the only thing he saw was Sakura standing in front of him, arms outstretched. That's when he realized that she was protecting him from the approaching enemy. He cursed beneath his breath, for he couldn't allow her to die like this. She was one of his only friends. One that he couldn't afford to lose. Something needed to be done, and fast.

Knocking Sakura out of the way, the last thing he remembered before he was stabbed was the diabolical expression on Koma's face as he approached. His cynical grin grew even wider, as he dug the blade of the sword deeper into the blonde's stomach. He coughed up blood.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, staring at him with tears in the corners of her eyes. "Why did you-"

"I can't let you get hurt," Naruto choked, interrupting her, as he struggled to pull out the sword. "I won't let my friends die, or even risk it, protecting me. You're one of my most precious people, besides Sasuke and Iruka-sensei. You three mean a lot to me. I can't let any of you just throw your life away to save the likes of _me_; I'm not worth it. Because, unlike me, you have a lot of people who care..."

"Enough of this nonsense!" Koma spat, quickly pulling the sword out of Naruto's stomach, as he stepped back. At that moment, Naruto collapsed, unable to stand any longer. Koma laughed manically, looking down at Naruto. He towered over him holding the sword high above his head.

"Now die, Kyuubi Brat!"

Sasuke was just about to take off to stop him, when he realized that Koma was not moving.

"What is this? Some sort of jutsu?" Koma choked.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete..." Someone said, from a distance. Everyone turned their attention to where the voice had come from.

"Shikamaru!"

_~End of Chapter~_

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**A/N: I don't think this turned out very well. It probably could've been better. That's why I need reviews; To make it better. Please? If I've made any mistakes with spelling, left out words in this chapter, let me know.**


	13. Rescue

**Story: **_**Shattered Truths, Chapter 13**_

**Disclaimer:**___**I do NOT own Naruto in any way possible.**_

* * *

_Konoha Forest_

"Shikamaru!" Sakura said gratefully.

"Shikamaru..." Naruto smiled faintly, before he closed his eyes. Soon, everything in his world went black. Shikamaru watched Naruto for another moment, before turning his attention back to the main objective, defeating Koma. He lifted his arms in the air, moving them as though he was throwing something. Koma, being under his control, did the same. He tossed the sword onto the ground, as It landed next to Sasuke, who didn't pay much attention to it.

"Now, Chouji!" Shikamaru commanded, when he saw that they were safe for the moment. "Sasuke, Sakura, get Naruto out of the way, and hurry!"

Sasuke nodded, as he quickly but gently lifted Naruto, then jumped back, curious as to what Shikamaru was planning. Soon, the leaves and bushes began rustling about six yards away.

"HUMAN BOULDER!" yelled Chouji, as he shot through the trees in the shape of a cannon ball. weapons upon weapons were attached to him, covering his whole body. He rolled towards Koma, who was obviously not happy.

"You damn brats!" he roared loudly.

"This is what you get for messing with our friends!" Chouji shouted, ignoring the comment, as he rolled over him. Shikamaru had released his Jutsu at the same moment Chouji hit the man. So, fortunately, Koma didn't have enough time to react and after all was said and done, he was lying on the ground, flat as a pancake, and severely injured in several different places.

Shikamaru slowly made his way to the place Chouji was standing. Studying Koma's face, his eyes widened in surprise. He could've sworn he'd seen him before, but where?

He kept the question to himself for the moment, for the most important thing right then was Naruto's safety. He studied the blonde's injuries, with an unreadable facial expression.

"How long have you two been here?" Sasuke questioned. Shikamaru looked up.

"Ever since that man introduced himself." he answered. "I heard most of the conversation, and I would've stopped him sooner, but I didn't even see him move."

"How did you know to come?" Sakura asked. Shikamaru thought for moment, then replied.

"Chouji and I were walking by the hospital when we saw you three jumping out of that window. Though I knew it was a little strange, I didn't too much of it until an unusual ninja followed behind a couple moments later."

"I see..." Sakura mumbled, as she stared at Naruto, who was slowly breathing. Shikamaru's focus returned to the blonde again, as he suddenly remembered what the man had said:

_"It's a long story, but to put it short, we're here to avenge our family and clan. The disaster that took place twelve years ago, was all because of him. That demon killed our family; he took the lives of some of our best friends and loved ones. For that, he must not be allowed to live."_

_"Tch...What is it with you people? Why would you care for that monster? Especially you; the only survivor of the Uchiha Massacre, to go so low as to protect some Jinchuuriki. A beast. A freak. The person who took the lives of many villagers, not to mention the Fourth Hokage, his own father."_

'Was that man telling the truth?' he wondered. 'Could Naruto really be the container of the Nine Tailed Fox?"

He'd heard that the Nine Tails wasn't actually killed, like the story goes. Instead, it was sealed away into a newborn baby, by the Fourth Hokage himself, who died because of the Jutsu he used. It was a forbidden technique. It would make since as to why the villagers and everyone else had always treated him the way they did. That was also probably the reason parents told their kids to stay from him. He'd had overheard different people cursing, and gossiping about Naruto behind his back, calling him names like Monster and freak.

But why would they would they persecute him for what the Nine Tails did? If the demon was really sealed inside of him, he should've been regarded as a hero. After all, Naruto would be the only thing standing between the fox and the village. He was the only thing that kept the village safe; that kept it from being destroyed.

Something else that had caught his attention was what Koma had said about the Fourth Hokage being Naruto's father. It was all too troublesome for him to understand, but It didn't stop him from wondering. Why would the Hokage, of all people, seal the demon inside of_own son_?

He'd heard very little of the Fourth, but had heard enough to know that he would've of never sealed an evil being, such as the Kyuubi, inside of an innocent child, unless he had a good cause. The only logical reason, though, would be for Naruto to grow up as a hero, eventually gaining control of the Fox's power and use it for good; Sort of like a prophecy.

Ah, what did he did know? He was just a kid. But, then again, Naruto was as well, and look at the dreams he has.

"Shikamaru," Sakura said, as Shikamaru glanced at her.

"Hm?"

"I-" she quickly looked at Naruto, then back at him, shaking her head. "Never mind...It's nothing."

"Huh?" Shikamaru responded, with a bewildered facial expression, as he was about to say something else, but was stopped by a voice. Sasuke and Sakura gazed over in the direction of the hospital. Shikamaru turned around, followed by Chouji.

"Sasuke!" Iruka called, as he approached them, panting. "Sakura!"

"Where's..." he began to ask, but stopped, when he noticed Koma laying on the ground. "Who's _that_?"

"He and some others were targeting Naruto," Sasuke explained. "so I decided It was best for us to get out of there, and go somewhere safer. However, he attacked us along the way, and Naruto got injured. Shikamaru stopped him just in time before it got any worse and out of hand."

'That would explain what those ninja were doing at the hospital...' Iruka thought.

"He got injured protecting me..." Sakura muttered, as tears strolled down her cheeks. "I was too weak...I couldn't do anything...It's always been like that..."

"Look at _me_," Sasuke shrugged. "I didn't do anything at all. I was completely caught off guard, but _you _stood your ground, and tried your best to defend him."

Sakura smiled weakly, though still very worried. However, as much as she hated it, she decided to keep her comment to herself.

"We've got a lot of things to take care of," Iruka said. "but, as of right now, the main priority is Naruto's well being. We've got to get him to the hospital very soon."

"Sensei, what about those other Ninja?" Sakura demanded.

"You don't have to worry about _them_. The third Hokage has took them in for questioning. They'd be punished anyway for the incident with the nurses and attendants, but something like _this_ will be unforgivable."

Sakura nodded. Sasuke gently lifted Naruto, though, this time holding him over his shoulder, like the first time he'd carried him.

"Come on." Sasuke said, as he quickly took off.

"Sasuke-kun, wait for me!" Sakura shouted, following behind.

"Man...How troublesome..." Shikamaru grumbled, before running to catch up. Soon after, Chouji left too. "Shikamaru, wait!"

Iruka was the only one left now. He looked down at Koma, then lifted him by the collar, hanging him over his shoulder, suddenly noticing the sword that was left behind. He slowly picked it up, examining it for a moment. "This sword..." He mused. "It must belong to him."

He stood in silence for the next two minutes, before taking off, and making his way to the Hokage mansion.

~End of Chapter~

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**A/N: **_**Hope you liked this. Review.**_


	14. Awakening

**Story: **_** Shattered Truths, Chapter 14**_

**Disclaimer: **_**I do NOT own Naruto!**_

* * *

_Naruto stood in a dimly lit corridor, completely unaware of how he'd got there. Looking around, studying his surroundings, it slowly dawned on him that this place seemed somehow familiar. It was almost as if he'd been there before. _

_As, he began walking, he started to develope a uneasy, sick feeling; the feeling you get when you know something bad is going to happen. He could sense the overwelming presence of someone, or something, that was there watching, if not, waiting for him. He could tell, that what ever it was, it was not human, but more like some sort of evil, demonic being. His fear grew with each step he made, as he hesitantly explored the hallway. _

_Soon, his senses had led him to the seventh room on the left. For a long moment, he stood at the entrance of the room, trembling._

_'Someone's in here...' He thought. 'I just know it...'_

_Gathering the courage, he finally managed to enter the room. However, wasn't able to force himself any further than to the center. Staring in awe at the huge cage in front of him, he couldn't help but notice the paper seal that was attached to it. He studied it for a little longer, then froze. Even though he __had no idea where he'd seen it before_, he immediately recongnized it and knew excactly what it was;_ I__t was the same forbidden seal the Fourth Hokage had used to seal the Nine Tails away inside of him. 'This place...it must be the...'_

_"Naruto..." hissed a deep, and terrifying voice. Naruto immediately froze. Who was that just then? Could it have been the Nine Tails?_

_"Wh-who are you...?" He stammered. Without hesitation, the beast replied._

_"I'm what you're so afraid of, the reason everyone dislikes you... The reason they will never accept you. I am Kurama, your worst nightmare..."_

_Naruto gulped. It was definately him._

_"Hey, Fox!" he shouted, trying to sound brave. However, the Nine Tails was not decieved. He could tell the blonde was way out of his league and knew it. But he listened anyways._

_"You're were right." Naruto pointed a finger at the demon. "You ARE the reason they hate me, but keep this in mind. Someday, the whole village is going to look up to me. No matter how long it takes, I'll earn their respect. It's always been my dream to recieve the title of 'hero', so there's no way I'd ever let a beast like YOU control ME, because this is my body. You got that?_

_The Nine Tails cackled, practically mocking him. Naruto clentched his fists. _

_"What's so funny!?" He demanded. "You think I'm joking!? Just you watch, I'll prove everyone wrong. I'm not just some kid who's in over his head. If I say I'm gonna do something, It means I will. Afterall, that's my nindo. I never go back on my word." _

_The Nine Tails was quiet for a long moment. Then he simply grunted._

_"Foolish brat..."_

* * *

_Konoha Hospital_

Sunlight brightly lit up the hospital room, shining through the window. Naruto lay in bed, finally having regained consiousness. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the light. His vision was blurry at first, so he couldn't make out much of thing, but soon, his sight had cleared, as he became aware of his surroundings. The beeping of machines, and the IV attached to his arm made it obvious. But still, the question remained. Why was he there? The only thing he could remember was the chat between the Nine Tails and him.

'Was that really just a dream?' he wondered. 'Or is there _more _to it...?'

He suddenly spotted someone in the corner of his eyes.

Standing at the window, was Sakura, as she replaced some flowers that looked as if they were beginning to wilt. _How long had he been unconsious? _

Setting up, he hissed at the unbearable pain, clutching his stomach tightly. Then he suddenly recalled everything; Koma's vicious words, their fight, and his realization of who his father was. He remembered it clearly, as if it had just occured.

Sakura turned around, relieved to see he'd finally woke up. However, she was overcome with joy, and couldn't restrain herself from crying. "Naruto..."

She ran up to him, tightly hugging him. He hesitated at first, for it felt kind of strange to him, but returned the embrace.

"It's been about three weeks...They thought you might never wake up," Sakura sobbed.

"Heh," He grunted, with a small smile. "you can't get rid of me _that_ easily..."

"Yeah, I guess not..." Sakura agreed, laughing. Naruto's smile faded after a while, as something ran though his mind.

"Is-" he began to ask, but stopped as the door slid open.

"So, you're finally awake." Shikamaru smirked, as he entered the room, followed by Sasuke and Kakashi. Sakura stood back, facing Kakashi.

"What did he say...?" she asked. Kakashi thought for a moment, considering the words he should use. After all, Naruto was listening. He didn't want him to get wrong idea, such as thinking they didn't trust him. Even though they didn't, they couldn't let him know. Because, being Naruto, he would most likely not comply.

"You and Sasuke are going to stay with him for a while so we can keep an eye on other villagers to make certain there's no more planned attacks." he explained, then gazed over at Naruto. "Naruto, you know these villagers better than we do. We can't keep you safe, unless you let us know if you think they're up to something. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura, keep your ears open and listen. Keep an close eye on everyone around you, and, whatever happens, the main priority is Naruto's safety."

Naruto could say nothing. He was holding them back from other things they could be doing, again. He mentally cursed. _'None of this would've happened if it hadn't been for this stupid fox being sealed inside of me.'_

Kakashi took a gander at him, for he knew what he was thinking. He could see it in his eyes.

"Naruto, none of this is your fault." he assured him. "It's the people in charge of the counsil that are to blame. The group of ninja that tried to kill you had attempted the same thing in the past, but were set free. The village elders did nothing back then. However this time, they've risked not only one life, but _several_."

"Kakashi-sensei..." said Naruto, as he looked up with a mixture of frustration and confusion. "Is it true? Is my father really the Fourth Hokage? Koma said I'd killed the Fourth Hokage, my own father."

Shikamaru, Sasuke and Sakura all remembered Koma's words as well.

_Why would you care for that monster? Escpecially you, the only survivor of the Uchiha Massacre, to go so low as to protect some Jinchuuriki; A beast, a freak. The person who took the lives of many villagers, not to mention, the Fourth Hokage, his own father._

Kakashi pondered it for a second, then replied, "Yes, your father was the Fourth Hokage, but was also my sensei."

Naruto's eyes widened. "_What did you just say?_"

_~End of Chapter~_

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**A/N: **_**This is really OOC. I don't escpecially like it. SO REMEMBER TO REVIEW! Pweeese? I really want to make this chapter better, thnx. I also need some good ideas for the next and upcoming chapters. I thinking of making Kakashi have a flashback of Minato's last words to him before he sacrificed himself. Tell me what you think of that, and give me your own idea's. Any vocab, grammer, or english errors? Let me know. THNX 4 UR HLP! ^.^**_


	15. Legacy

**Story:**___**Shattered Truths, Chapter 15**_

**Disclaimer:**___**I don't own Naruto, blah blah blah...**_

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_"His injuries are too severe, there's nothing more I can do..." said a medical ninja, shaking her head in sorrow, for she knew it was too late._

_"But there must be something you can-" Kakashi protested. The woman looked him in the eyes, silencing him. She then looked at Minato, surprised to see his reaction to the situation. He didn't seem to be upset about it. If anything, he looked happy. How someone could know they were about to die and be happy about it, was beyond her._

_"I knew this would happen. That's exactly why that Jutsu was forbidden..."_

_Kakashi stared at his sensei in tears, despite rule number twenty five of the Shinobi handbook. The same rule he used to always talk about. _

_**- 'A shinobi never shows his emotions, no matter what the circumstances. Feelings are a weakness that only clouds their sense of judgement and weakens their sense of duty' -**_

_"Kakashi..." whispered Minato, laying against a tree, as he held little Naruto in his arms, close to his chest. He knew he didn't have much longer, but he had something to say before he could just let himself die. _

_"What is it, Minato-sensei...?" Kakashi choked, trembling, setting next to his teacher. Over the time they'd been together, he'd began to look up to Minato, sort of like a father. It was only after Obito had died, though, that he was finally able to grasp the concept and meaning of friendship. _

_'Those who break the rules are considered trash, but those who will abandon their comrades are even lower than that.' he had told him._

_"I have...a special request for you; my last request..." Minato explained. "I'm entrusting you with my son, Naruto. Take good care of him. Because, one day, I want him to surpass me. I want people to call him a hero, and, not just any hero. The greatest hero..." _

_Kakashi nodded. "I promise I won't let you down."_

_"One more thing... There will be some who won't accept him because of what's inside of him... But tell him this. I sealed it inside of him, only because I have faith in him. I believe he'll be able to gain control over it, and use it for something great. Let him know that there are people who care and people who believe in him, including Kushina and I... I know I you can do it, Kakashi..."_

_"He WILL be a hero one day, Minato-sensei..." Kakashi vowed. "The greatest hero. I broke my promise to Obito, but I won't go back on this one..."_

_"That's good to know..." Minato drifted off into eternal silence, as he died smiling. _

Kakashi remembered that dreadful day so clearly. Every single moment of it had haunted him ever since, especially his conversation with his sensei. That was what troubled him the most, because he'd been left with responsibility of protecting Naruto. Instead, he'd done the complete opposite.

"Yes, your father was my sensei... You're probably wondering what he was like. Well, you could say he was soft spoken and kind. He was also very persistent and brave. Sort of like you, Naruto. You remind me of him, and Obito as well. In fact, if it wasn't for the difference in looks, I'd probably confuse you for Obito." he chuckled softly.

"Did you just say Obito?" Sasuke asked. "Wasn't he a member of the Uchiha Clan?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes... As a matter of fact, he's the one who gave me my Sharingan."

"Who's Obito?" questioned Naruto. "Was he one of your friends or something?"

Kakashi looked down, deep in thought, as he recalled his days as a Chuunin. He remembered all the way back to after the final exams, when his team was first announced.

_- Flash Back -_

_"Team Minato will consist of Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, and Rin-"_

_"NO! Why him? Why do I have to be on a team with Kakashi?!" Obito demanded, darting up from his chair, as he slammed his fist on the desk. The teacher up front glared at him._

_"Obito, sit down." He hissed. Obito remained standing, shaking his head._

_"Absolutely NOT!" he yelled. "I want to know why you've put me with him!"_

_He pointed a finger at Kakashi, who looked as if he couldn't care less. He rolled his eyes._

_"Just stay out of my way..." he said simply. Obito clentched his fist, about to yell back._

_"Obito, sit down." the teacher repeated, however, a lot louder. This time Obito did set down, but folded his arms, as he continued to mutter beneath his breath._

- End of flash back -

"Obito was one of my teammates." Kakashi explained. "You and him show a lot of similarities. But one thing that stands out in both of you, is your level of confidence and dreams. Obito wanted to be acknowledged as someone very important, just like you..."

_- Flash Back -_

_"So, let's introduce ourselves." Minato said. "Tell about your likes and dislikes; goals for the future. That sort of thing."_

_"Sensei, can I go first?" Rin asked, raising her hand politely. Minato nodded. _

_"I don't see why not." he said, shrugging._

_"Ok, my name is Rin. I love to arrange flowers. My favourite flower would be the rose. I have several goals, but my most important one is to become one of the best medical ninjas in Konoha."_

_Obito jumped up and down with excitement. "Sensei, can I go next?" _

_Minato smirked at his student's enthusiasm. "Of course."_

_"My name is Obito Uchiha, I love challenges and adventure. I'm always ready to learn something new. My dream for the future is to finally awaken my Sharingan and be remembered as the Number one member of the Uchiha clan. My one dislike...Is HIM!"_

_Kakashi rolled his eyes, simply grunting. "I could care less about how you feel about me. You're just an insecure, reckless fool who doesn't think before acting..."_

_Looking around at them he spoke, "Oh yes, my introduction. My Name is Kakashi, I don't preferably like much of anything, though I don't really hate much of anything either. My dreams... Never really thought of it." he finished with a total lack of interest, ignoring the stares from his teammates. Minato was slightly amused at how different their personalities were, but said nothing, reminding himself that he also had to give his introduction.._

_"Sensei, what about you? Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Rin asked. Everyone turned their attention toward Minato with curiosity. _

_"Actually," he said. "I was just about to. My name is Minato Namikaze. I'm looking forward to training with you three. I have high expectations, but believe that you have the potential to accomplish anything, as long as you put your mind to it."_

_- End of Flashback -_

"Based on what I heard from your mother, your father was a lot like you and Obito when he was younger. Recklace, over-confident, loud, and always ready for adventure. But most of all, he cared for his friends."

"So, wait," said Naruto. "You knew my mother too?"

Kakashi thought for a moment, not sure how to answer his question, for he hadn't really got to know Kushina that well. He had only spoke with her a few times.

"How should I put this?" he mused, holding his finger to his chin. "I didn't know her personally, but I had talked to her a few times. She had really high hopes for you. When I did speak with her, all she could talk about was what she wanted for you. Your dad was the same..."

Naruto gazed down, unable to look him in the eye. It made no sense to him. What kind of loving father would seal some beast inside of his own son? A father would've tried his best to avoid it. He should've known the villagers would never accept him. Looking back up at Kakashi, he spoke.

"Why then...?" he questioned. Kakashi glanced up at him.

"Hm...?" he replied.

"Why would he do that to his own son!?" Naruto demanded. "Why would he seal some beast inside of me? Didn't he consider what villagers would think of me...? How they would treat me?"

"He did, and he was aware that there would be some who would refuse to accept you, but it's only because he believed in you that that thing is sealed within you..." explained Kakashi. "He believed that by putting it inside of you, you would one day gain control over it's power and use it for something great. He knew that you could surpass him and become an even greater hero than himself. We all can see what Kushina and Minato saw, the guts to never give up. Keep to your goals, Naruto, and you'll become what you've always aspired to be; the greatest Hokage. I know you can do it."

"So that's why..." Naruto mused, as he pondered everything Kakashi had told him. What he had said made a lot of sense. He'd been thinking in the past, wondering if his father really hated him. But then he wondered how someone could hate a person they've never met. It didn't seem possible. He was happy to know his father and mother had believed in him. At least he knew someone had been been thinking of him.

They'd entrusted him with the task of becoming Hokage. There was no way he could give up, until his goal was achieved. He would earn the village's trust and respect. He would become an even greater hero than the Fouth Hokage, surpassing all the previous ones. Hell, _his _Hokage monument would be three times bigger than the others.

"If that's the case," he smiled. "that means I've got a lot of training ahead of me. My Hokage face is gonna be three times as big as the others ones, which means I'm gonna work six times as hard as everyone else."

And, as far as the nine tails went, well, let's just consider that fact that before they knew it, he would practically have it on a leash. There was no way it was going to hold him back. Only one problem... he didn't know how suppress it, nor control it.

"Glad to see you're feeling better." Kakashi eye-smiled. "Now, there's something else we need to discuss. Have any of you been informed of the upcoming Chuunin exams?"

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**A/N: **_**What did you think? Remember to review. I need as many ideas as possible. Thnx.**_


	16. The Coming Tests

**Story:**_** Shattered Truths, Chapter 16**_

**Disclaimer:**_** I don't own Naruto...**_

**_If you could suggest a good title for this chapter, I'd really appreciate it. The first chapter's title kind of sucked. And maybe the other chapters that don't have names. I've had alot of trouble thinking of some of them. Thnx :)_**

* * *

"The Chuunin exams...?" Naruto mused. "What are those?"

Kakashi reached into his pouch, taking out three slips of paper.

"The Chuunin exams consists of four main tests; written, preliminaries, parter exam, and survival. There will be a lot of people participating, including ninja from alied nations. These exams are used to promote your rank of Ninja to Chuunin." He explained, handing each of them a slip.

"The Chuunin exams are sort of like the final exams at the academy, aren't they?" asked Shikamaru, who hadn't spoke since coming in.

"Sort of, though there is a difference. The academy exams are mostly to test your knowledge, and so you can become a ninja, but even you _pass_ the academy exams, there's no promise that you will stay a ninja. It's all up to the leader of the three man squad to decide if you truly pass or should be sent back to the academy. But, if you pass the Chuunin exams, the title is permanent."

"What is this for?" Naruto questioned, as he studied the slip of paper that Kakashi had handed him.

"Those slips are your pass to take the Chuunin exams." Kakashi explained "You'll have to hand them to the supervisor of the main entry. Word of advise; these exams will be intense. A lot of people participents means a lot of competition. It's completely optional though; you can the choose if you want to take them now or wait another year. It won't be held against you if decide not to."

"Ha, they aren't gonna scare me away!" Naruto bragged. "Whatever challenges they throw at me, I'll face them head on and without hesitation!"

Sakura gave a small smile. _'Always so recklace...'_

Sasuke stared at the blonde for long time then smirked._ 'He has the potential to accomplish so much. Some of that was shown during our battle with Haku... As much as I hate to admit it, he might become Hokage after all.'_

"Kakashi-sensei, when is this taking place?" Sakura wanted to know. Just then, Kakashi realized he'd not informed them of the date.

"I almost forgot..." he said. "In two weeks exactly, a meeting will take place, regarding the time and place. You will also meet some of the other particapents as well. Naruto, I recently spoke with another jounin about your training. He's looking forward to teaching you some cool techniques."

Naruto smiled happily. He wondered who this jounin could be. Was he strong? Was he intelligent? He hoped this person knew a lot of jutsus.

"Who?" he asked, excitedely rambling on with questions. "Who is he? What's his name? Is he strong?"

"Well, you could say that. After all, he's a rank higher than I am, special jounin." Kakashi explained.

Naruto was even more excited now. A special jounin...training _him_? This was awesome.

"When will I get to meet him?" he wanted to know. Kakashi studied him for a moment, knowing exactly what he was thinking. After all, the only two things that got the boy's attention was training and ramen.

"First things first," he said. "your wounds need to heal before we can even _consider_ any training."

"But I'm fine!" Naruto protested. "I swear I am!"

Kakashi understood where he was coming from. He knew what it felt like to be stuck in the hospital for so long, but also knew how reckless the boy could be. Naruto didn't stop. He would train until he'd passed out.

"Naruto, I know you're anxoius to get out of here, but, unless the docters say you're free to go, you've got to stay put. Becuase, If something were to happen during your training, and your wounds weren't healed yet, you would regret it." he reasoned.

"Oh, come on, that's so unfair..." Naruto grumbled, folding his arms as he sulked. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Kakashi was right. He wanted to train so badly, though.

"May I come in?" asked a female, as she knocked on the door. Kakashi turned around.

"Come right in." he replied. Soon after, a young blonde female nurse, who appeared to be in her mid thirty's, slid the door open. She was holding a clipboard, along with some liquid medicine, most likely for Naruto's IV. Glancing up at the stretcher, she was surprised to see that he had finally woke up. Without saying a word, she stepped back out. Running up to a desk nearby, she announced the good news.

"Mizuko-san, he's finally woke up." she told a male doctor, who was setting at the desk, groggily filing some papers. He'd been on duty for the past twelve hours with absolutely no sleep. His shift would soon end, though, and he would finally get to go home, or so he'd thought. Mizuko gazed up with a total lack of interest.

"_Who's_ woke up?" he questioned.

"Uzumaki Naruto." the nurse answered. Mizuko stood up, hiding his agitation with a smile.

"Wonderful, wonderful." he stated, wishing to make it sound sarcastic, but managed to restrain himself from doing so. Scanning through the patient files, he pulled out Naruto's folder, then looked around for an ink pen. Spotting one, he picked it up, attatching it to the pocket on his shirt, then headed towards Naruto's room.

As were just about to enter the room, Mizuko came to a hault.

"Naomi-san, do you have his chart?" he wanted to know.

"Yes." she nodded, handing him her clipboard, though still holding the medicine. Taking a look at the chart, Mizuko realized that Naruto's overall condition was not that bad. What surprised him even more, was how fast his wounds had healed.

"Sorry about that," Naomi appologized, entering to the room. Mizuko closed the door behind them.

"I'm one of the doctors here at the hospital. My name is Mizuko Amazaki. It's nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san." he introduced himself, giving a small bow. "The reason I'm here is to check your wounds, and do a few tests. Does your chest still hurt?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" Mizuko asked.

"I don't mind." Naruto replied, as he let Mizuko unravel his bandages. The doctor examined the stab wounds, which were now the size of small abrasions.

"This looks great." he commented. "Considering your current condition, you'll probably be able to go home tomorrow."

Naruto's face lit up. "Really? Are you serious?"

Mizuko nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Did you hear that, Kakashi-sensei? they're gonna let me go home!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. Sakura giggled, Kakashi said nothing, but stared, as he pondered his student's enthuasim. Naruto would always be a reckless and hardheaded, but persistant and couragous kid. After all, he _was_ Konoha's number one unpredictable, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja. But Kakashi knew something that Naruto didn't, and that was that he could change people. He truly believed he was the child of prophecy that Jiraiya, the legendary toad sage himself had talked about; the child that would bring peace to all of the Shinobi nations.

That reminded him._ 'I wonder where he is these days...It's been a long time since I last spoke to him...'_

_~End of Chapter ~_

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**A/N: **_**This was probably not the smartest place to end this, But I'd really appriciate it if you'd review it, THNX so much.**_

**PS: **_**As I've asked before, I need ideas for upcoming chapters, even it 's a long ways into the story... I couldn't have made this story possible without everyone's help. Thanks so much, you guys. I owe you one. I can't pay you back in money or pounds, or yen, or whatever. But, if you want me to write you a Naruto Fanfiction, just PM me with the idea. I warn you, due to this story, it may take a while for me to write your story. Plus, I want to try to avoid as much Yaoi as possible, but if that's really what you want, I'll try my best. But, just remember this. I don't do just romance; I need a good story to go along with it. It gets on my nerves when all that happens is kissing and sex. I want it to have a purpose. That's all. **_

_**The next chapter may be short, but I don't know yet. PM me if u have any ideas. Thanks.**_


	17. Under the Starry Sky

**Story:**_** Shattered Truths, Chapter 17**_

**Disclaimer: **_**I do NOT own Naruto. The only one who has rights of ownership is Kishi-sama himself.**_

* * *

_Konoha Hospital_

The Full Moon lit up the sky, little dots surrounding it. A whoooing owl could be heard from the distance. The light shined through the hospital window, helping to keep a certain someone awake. However, that was not the only reason he couldn't sleep.

Laying on the stretcher, Naruto stared out the window, as the conversation from earlier that day repeatedly played through his mind. The one thing he couldn't stop thinking about was the Chuunin Exams. He was looking forward to getting out of the hospital, but the thoughts of the exams were what was keeping him up. What will they be like? Will they really be_ that _challenging? What is a partner exam? How strong will the participants be? Do I stand a chance?

His head was spinning with questions; so many questions that it had his mind boggled. He pondered it for a long time, even beginning to question if he would be able to pass them, then reminded himself who he was. 'What am I saying? I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage. I _can't_ fail. I have to pass, no matter _how_ difficult those trials may be.' he mentally vowed.

Sakura watched him from the other side of the room, but said nothing, for she wasn't really surprised to see that he was still awake. The Chuunin exams were bugging her as well.

Naruto turned over, gazing outside the window at the many stars that filled the sky. He smiled softly, closing his eyes. That was the last thing he remembered seeing before drifting off to sleep.

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**A/N:**_** What did yallz think? Hope u guys liked it, even though it was so short. Review :)**_


	18. Release

**Story: ****_Shattered Truths Chapter 18_**

**Disclaimer: **

**_Sai: I own Naruto._**

**_Naruto: Are you lying to me?_**

**_Sai: No, I'm not lying to you Naruto.  
_**

**_Naruto: What's that in your pocket?  
_**

**_Sai: A...book?  
_**

**_Naruto: A book on what?  
_**

**_Sai: ...*Looks away.*  
_**

**_Naruto snatches the book and reads the title.  
_**

**_Naruto: A BOOK ON HOW TO LIE!? SAI!  
_**

* * *

_Konoha Hospital_**_  
_**

Naruto had slept a long time that day. However, nobody tried to wake him up, for they knew he needed the rest more than anything. Sakura and Sasuke, who'd just returned from Naruto's apartment, stepped in, holding Naruto's clothes, which had evidently been washed and folded. Kakashi was leaning against the wall, near the window, reading his book. As he flipped the page, he heard them come in. Closing the novel, he looked up.

"So, you're back." he eye-smiled, stepping towards the door. "Guess I better be going, then. The doctors said once he wakes up, he's free to go. But remember, you're to stay with him at all times. Oh, and remember to meet me at the training field at six-sharp this evening. Well, bye bye, now."

Kakashi raised his hand slightly, as if to say good bye, before stepping out the room. It left Sasuke and Sakura standing speechless, but irritated at the same time.

* * *

_Naruto's POV_

_Naruto stood in front of the Nine Tail's cage,__ trembling. The beast cackled, as he looked down at the genin. It's chakra began to surround Naruto, who backed up in fear. His strength began to rapidly increase, as his body felt like it was suddenly on fire. He let out a scream, and tried his best to fight it off. _

_"Damn you! What the hell are you doing to my body!?" he choked.  
_

_"Take my power. You know you want it..." taunted the Nine Tailed Fox. "Those people tried to kill you. Why do you hesitate?" _

_"There are other ways to handle things!" Naruto answered. "If I just killed anyone who hurt me, a lot of people would be dead right now. I told you already, didn't I? I won't give in to your power!" _

_The Nine Tails cackled, once again. The chakra, surrounding Naruto's body, subsided after a moment. For a long time, he said nothing. Then, in a deep, low voice, the beast spoke._

_"You think you won't...But, one day, you'll come, begging for my power..."_

_Naruto smirked, holding out his fist. "Ha! We'll just see about that."_

* * *

_Konoha Hospital._

Naruto lay staring at the ceiling for a while, before setting up. Rubbing his eyes, he pondered his encounter with the Nine Tails. _'Was that another dream?'_

Looking up at his teammates, he groggily spoke. "What did the doctors say...?" _  
_

"They said you're free to go." Sakura explained. "But you'll have to stay with us."

"So get your clothes on." Sasuke added. Handing the blonde his clothes, Sakura smiled briefly, as she, just then, wondered why he had always worn such a bright and noticeable outfit: the kind of outfit that'll get you killed on a mission. Did he even know that it was_ that_ noticeable. Maybe not...

"Here. We'll be by the door if you need us." she said, as they stepped out the room, and slid the door shut. Naruto stayed seated for a moment, before jumping up. He quickly slipped off the hospital gown, and put on his pants. As he did, he couldn't help but ponder the Chuunin Exams, and the trials that might await him. Zipping up his jacket, he smiled, as he slid open the door. '_Why do I keep worrying? There's no way I'm gonna fail!' _

Sasuke and Sakura looked up.

"C'mon, let's go!" Naruto said, taking them by the hand. _  
_

"Hey!" Sasuke cried, as him and Sakura were being pulled down the hallway. Sakura, after a moment, smiled. She didn't know why, but this made her happy, for she knew that her blonde teammate would never change.

_-End of Chapter-_

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**A/N: I apologize for how long it's been since I last updated, and how short it is. The holidays have been holding me back, and I've been grounded for the past few days, so I just started writing it today. This is definitely not my best chapter. So, If you could, give me some suggestions to make it better, and some ideas for the next chapter. Really appreciate it. By the way, I also need some ideas for missions and stuff. If you see any screw ups in spelling, punctuation, or grammer, feel to tell me. Thanks again :)**


	19. Judgement

**Story: **_**Shattered Truths, Chapter 19**_

**Disclaimer: **_**I do NOT own Naruto...**_

* * *

_Outside of Konoha Hospital_

Naruto ran out the doors of the hospital, finally releasing his grip on Sasuke and Sakura's wrist. He stopped and looked around, happy to see the village again. It felt like it'd been forever since he'd last seen it.

"Naruto," said Sasuke, stepping somewhat ahead. "We're going to Hokage's office. He asked to see us once you'd woke up."

"Oh, okay." Naruto said simply. Sasuke smirked, turning around. Following, an eerie silence settled between the three genin, as if they were waiting for some sort of order or sign. Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke, having noticed his smirk. It seemed different from his normal I'm-better-than-everyone-else type of smirk. He could've sworn he'd seen that look before, but couldn't quite place it.

Sakura noticed the look on Naruto's face, and she could tell he wanted to say something, for she, as well, hated this uneasy feeling she was getting. Naruto tried his best to think of something casual to say, to end the silence, but nothing came to mind.

"I'll..." Sasuke spoke, interrupting the blonde's thoughts. Naruto immediately snapped back to reality, as he listened.

"I'll race you." Sasuke offered. The corner of Naruto's mouth curved upward, as he formed a grin that could be compared to Sasuke's smirk. He pointed a finger at the raven, confidently smiling.

"You're on!" he exclaimed. Sakura was about to intervene, but once she saw how confident Naruto looked, she decided to let them have their fun.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. He looked down, for a second, then back up.

"It starts now!" he said, right after taking off. Naruto, just then realizing he'd already took off, shook his fist angirly.

"Hey! That's so unfair!" he yelled, immediately running after him. A second later, Sakura followed behind.

_Outside of the Hokage's Mansion_

Naruto ran up to gate of the Hokage's mansion, panting. He'd barely managed to beat Sasuke by an inch. It was all thanks to his capabilities with the shadow clones that he was able to throw himself up ahead. Sasuke was obviously irritated, but was also out of breath, so he said nothing.

"I... I..did it..." Naruto smiled proudly. "I actually...won..."

Sakura, after a few minutes, finally caught up. _How are they able to withstand so much...? I feel as though my body is just about to give in... _She thought, as she bent over to catch her breath.

"C'mon," said Sasuke, after a few minutes. "Let's go."

Sakura and Naruto looked up, nodding, as Sasuke opened the doors, letting them in. They followed behind, making their way to the Hokage's office. Sasuke stopped at the door, knocking softly, as he waited for a reply, permitting them to come in.

"Come in." said the Third Hokage. Sasuke held the door open for Sakura and Naruto who looked around, taking notice of all the Jounin, and the two Anbu, that were present. Kakashi, Iruka, Kurenai, and Ibiki were among them. The Third Hokage, who was setting at his desk, glanced up. Everyone, except two Jounin and an Anbu, turned to face them.

Naruto, took a step back, trembling, as he looked across the room, spotting that bastard, Koma, who was tied up in a chair.

"W-why is he h-here?" Naruto stammered. Kakashi looked at Ibiki, who gave a small nod.

"We want your input on what his punishment should be." he explained.

"If you choose for him to be locked up, or put to death, it'll be done." Ibiki added. Naruto was confused. _'Hadn't they already punished him?' _he wondered. _'Why am I choosing his punishment?'_

"Why are you asking _me_?" he questioned.

"It's because you were the target of this attack. Though there were others who could've got hurt, you were the only one who actually did get injured, so we feel it's most fitting for _you_ to choose his punishment." said Kakashi. Naruto looked down, letting his bangs cover his eyes. A sickening silence filled the air, only to be interrupted by Koma.

"Go ahead and do what a demon would do, and kill me!" he spat, grinning wickedly. "After all, that's what you are!"

Naruto's eyes widened at that comment, though no one could see it. Sasuke clenched his fist angrily, and glared at Koma, who showed no sign of being afraid. Instead he laughed.

"Go ahead and admit it! You want to see me die, don't you? Go ahead and be the hero!" he yelled, cackling manically. Sasuke glanced over at Naruto, hoping he would decide to kill him, and was about speak, but was cut off.

"Release him." Naruto told them, directly facing Koma, who's smile faded after hearing this. Everyone's eyes widened with shock. Even the Third Hokage seemed to be surprised. Sasuke stared at him in disbelief, and Sakura couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She was about to protest to his decision, but then remembered this was his choice, not hers.

"Why would you...?" Koma started to ask, studying the blonde's face, for any sign that he was kidding. None were present.

"If I was a demon, I would've killed you the day we met. But since I'm not, I couldn't do something like that to someone unless he was hurting my friends. No, I _wouldn't _dosomething like that. But I promise you this...If you do ever hurt any of my friends, I'll see to it that you have a long and painful time to think about what you did..."

Koma said nothing.

"Are you...positive...?" asked Kurenai. Naruto nodded to show he was.

"Very well..." Ibiki let out a sigh, and untied the thick rope surrounding Koma.

"You're free to go, but we'll be watching you." he warned. Koma nervously nodded, and ran towards the door, rushing out within a few seconds.

"Thank you... Ibiki, Raido, and Izumo, you're all dismissed. But make sure to keep an eye on him..."

"Right." Ibiki said, with a deep and dark tone in his voice.

"We will." stated Izumo. Raido simply nodded, following them out the door. The Hokage then faced the three Genin.

"Now..." he said softly, gazing over at Naruto. "There's something we need to talk about..."

~End of Chapter~

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**A/N: **_**So...What did'ya think? I've had more time this week, and decided to write. If you think this chapter could be better, please give me some ideas TO make it better. Errors with grammar, spelling, or anything else? Tell me so I fix it. Ideas for the next chapter? Definitely need them. Thanks!**_


	20. Evil Plots and a Precious Gift

**Story:****_ Shattered Truths, Chapter 20_**

**Disclaimer:****_ I don't own Naruto..._**

* * *

_The Hokage's Office_

"Now then..." said the Third Hokage. "There's something we need to discuss..."

Naruto gazed around the room and couldn't help but notice all the stares he was receiving, as it was making him feel very uncomfortable.

"But, first..." Sarutobi said sofly, before getting up from his chair. He slowly approached, with a solemn look on his face. Naruto was just about say something, but stopped, as the old man gently pulled him into an embrace.

"You know, Naruto," stated Iruka. "There are a lot of people who care about you. Lord Hokage is one of them."

"Old man, I..." Naruto trailed off into silence, trying his best hold bite back the temptation of crying.

"It's okay." Sarutobi told him. "It's okay to cry."

Naruto didn't know what stirred in him, but all of a sudden, he started to cry. He couldn't hold it back. The Third had always had this atmosphere about him that made you want to keep going. There was something about it that made you feel safe. He didn't judge you if you cried. His presence was encouraging.

Tears were uncontrollably streaming down his cheeks by now, as he buried his face into the Hokage's chest, returning the embrace. No words were said for the next ten minutes. Everyone stood in silence, with their eyes closed, as they thought to themselves.

"Have you calmed?" questioned the Third, as everyone opened their eyes. Naruto nodded.

"Yes... Thank you, old man..."

"Remember now. You have friends who are there for you." stated the Hokage. Naruto gazed around the room at his comrades. Iruka scratched the back of his neck, like he always did, giving a look of assurance. Sakura gave a small, but very genuine, smile, to let him know they _were_ there for him. Sasuke gave a smirk, which was also genuine, and favored Sakura's smile. Kakashi, since he wore a mask, eye smiled to show he too was there for him. Naruto stared at them a few more seconds, before giving a wide, toothy grin.

"You're right." he agreed. _I do have friends..._

_Somewhere in the sound village_

In his hideout, located in a forest, Orochimaru sat in his chair, his hand at the side of his face, as he contemplated the flickering candals which lit up the room. He stared at them, with an expression that just by looking at, you can tell, he was plotting something evil. Kabuto, who was also present, stood at a table, experimenting with some sort of liquid. Glancing up at his master, he recognized the sannin's pleasing, yet disturbing, expression.

"Orochimaru-sama, the Chuunin Exams are coming up, aren't they?" he questioned, after a long, stomach-churning silence.

"Indeed..." Orochimaru grinned wickedly at the thought. "I believe this time around will prove to be most fruitful. The best part, I already know who my next vessel will be."

"That Uchiha kid," said Kabuto. "I hear he has talent."

"Just like his brother, Itachi Uchiha." Orochimaru agreed. "He has keen Sharingan...In due time, though, those eyes will be mine..."

"Orochimaru-sama, I've never seen you so happy before." Kabuto noted. _Which means only one thing – this will be a success._

Orochimaru smirked once again, before standing.

"Kabuto, I think it's about time we go." he told him, walking towards the entrance, stopping briefly. "I have some business to take care of in Suna..."

Kabuto nodded. "Yes, I understand. I'll be there shortly."

With that, Orochimaru turned, placing his hand on the wall. Suddenly, the ground began to softly shake, as an opening to the outside was created. Kabuto was left, pondering to himself about all the past attempts to find that special vessel, and how every time they failed. This time, he was sure they'd found the correct one. After all, Sasuke sought something that only Orochimaru could give. That was power, and his thirst for vengeance. This would most definitely be a success. _He was certain of it._

_In the Hidden Sand Village_

The Kazekage sat behind the dark red curtains, only his shadow visible, as he pondered the upcoming Chuunin Exams.

"Kazekage-sama," said a Sand Ninja, kneeling respectfully. "We've received a message from Orochimaru of the Hidden Sound.

"Orochimaru...?" he inquired, cocking an eye brow. _What could he, of all people, possibly want with the Sand Village?_

"What does it say?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then answered. "He wants to form an alliance with the Sand Village, to wipe out the leaf at the upcoming Chuunin Exams."

"He does, does he? We still owe Konoha a thanks for the last time we saw them. We're still recovering from it." he smirked evilly. "This will work out perfect. Send back that we accept."

_Back to Team 7_

"Y-you guys..." Naruto looked around his apartment in shock. "You did this...for me...?"

His once before broken down, empty, poor excuse for an apartment, now had clean, brand new furniture, including a large four-seated couch, small brown table, and a sofa. Looking over in the area of the cabinet, he realized it, along with the window had been replaced. In the past, a villager had got in, and smashed out the window, he'd never bothered to clean it up, because he knew something else would get end up getting broken as well. That same villager ripped out the cabinet door, and just left it there.

Another incident was where, while he was gone, several people broke in, and painted graffiti all over the walls. That reminded him. Scanning the walls, he realized they were clean. The paint was gone.

"We couldn't just leave it like it _was_." Sakura said.

"It was annoying to look at." Sasuke added.

"It wasn't just us, Shikamaru, Kakashi-sensei, and Iruka-sensei helped too." Sakura told him. Naruto's eyes widened, then he mentally snickered, as he already guessed what was on Shikamaru's mind. _'Knowing Shikamaru, he was probably thinking something like, "Man, you really are troublesome, Naruto."'_

"Here," said Sasuke, holding up Naruto's headband. Naruto hesitantly reached up and took it.

"My headband..." he whispered, as he remembered how happy he'd been when receiving it from Iruka. That headband was precious to him. Something he definitely didn't want to lose. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Glancing over at one of the windows, he spotted a plastic bag. He pointed at it, questioningly. "What's that...?"

"Oh that's right. I completely forgot." Sakura realized, walking over to pick it up. She handed it to him, smiling. "It's from Kakashi-sensei. Open it."

Naruto slowly untied the bag, curious as to what it was. Reaching inside, he pulled out what he thought was a replica of the Fourth Hokage's cloak.

"We repaired it the best we could." Sakura told him.

"You mean...this is the original one...?" Naruto questioned, searching her eyes for something that told him this was a joke. Nothing, however, but pure certainty showed in her eyes, as she nodded.

"Of course." she assured him, as she noticed him crying. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

Sasuke stood behind them, observing him. He could tell there was no need to worry, as it wasn't tears of sadness this time, rather...

"Nothings wrong. It's just...this is best present I've ever received from anyone." Naruto smiled, tears freely flowing. "I'm overcome with happiness."

Sasuke smiled._ It was happiness..._

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**A/N: ****_I am SOOOOO sorry how long it's been. I just wanted to let you all know that I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN._****_I have been very busy, helping my mom fix her website. I've often been sick too. And school has really been dragging me behind. Several times, I've had to go to tutoring. Many other important things are really preventing me from writing as well (family issues included), but when the summer break gets here, I can guarantee I'll have more time. Anyway, review. Misspellings, grammar or punctuation errors? Feel free to point them out. Thnx :) _**

_**PS: I also want some ideas for some ST specials. Kind of like what Masashi Kishimoto did when having Naruto, Sakura, Neji, Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya on TV. Or episode 101 of Naruto when they tried to unmask Kakashi. Any ideas will do. I can really use them. And of course, as always, ideas for in the future.**_


	21. Confusion at Ichiraku

**Story: ****_Shattered Truths, Chapter 21_**

**Disclaimer: ****_I don't own Naruto..._**

**_A/N: Just to let you know, I recently changed Chapter 3, where Sasuke speaks, slightly, so, if you want to, read it. You might find it a little better than before._**

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_Ichiraku Noodle Shop_

"Ah, man. It feels like forever since I last ate here." Naruto said, opening the door flap, as he came in. Sakura sat in the middle of Sasuke and Naruto. Teuchi and Ayame looked up from what they were doing.

"I thought I heard a familiar voice." Teuchi smiled. "What can I get you three today?"

"A large bowl of Spicy Pork Miso, with extra fish cake." Naruto told him.

"...A small bowl of scallion ramen." replied Sasuke.

"I'm fine." Sakura waved passively. "I'm on a diet."

Naruto glanced over, slightly taken by surprise.

"Sakura-chan, why in the world would you, of all people, want to be on a diet?" he questioned.

"Well..." Sakura placed a thumb on her chin. "It was about a week ago...I was walking by the Yamanaka flower shop, when Ino stopped me..."

_~ Flashback ~_

_Yamanaka Flower Shop_

"_Hey, forehead," Ino hollered, waving to Sakura. "What do you think of my knew look?"_

_Sakura stopped, looking at her rival, unaware of what she was talking about. "What are you talking about, Ino-pig? What new look?"_

"_Can't you see? I've lost weight." replied Ino. "About three weeks ago, I was at one hundred thirty, now I'm down to one hundred five. I bet you can't beat that, can you?"_

_Sakura suddenly noticed that Ino WAS slightly smaller, but only by a couple inches. She held up her fist, her face full of determination._

"_Of course I could!" she retorted. "I could lose double that in the same amount of time. Just watch, INO-PIG!" _

_~ End of Flash Black ~_

Naruto gulped, as he stared at his teammate, fully taking notice of the evil glint in her eyes, as she held up and shook her fist in front of her.

"_What is it with women?' _he wondered._ 'I've never understood them...and in someways, I don't think I want to...'_

Here you go your ramen." announced Teuchi. "Enjoy."

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto grinned, his mouth watering as he broke the chopsticks apart.

"It's been a while." noted Ayame, standing across the bar from Naruto. "Have you been on a mission or something?"

Sasuke and Sakura glanced over, worried by what Naruto might say. His eyes quickly darted to the side, nervously. _What was he suppose to say?_

"Uh... I haven't been feeling too hot lately." he told her. Well, at least it wasn't a lie. He really _hadn't _been feeling good. They sighed in relief.

"Well, I hope that ramen will perk you up." said Teuchi. "How about this? Everybody's meals are on the house."

"Really?!" Naruto beamed. "Old man, you're the best!"

"It's the least I can do for my number one customer." Teuchi commented. With that, Naruto began to eat, slurping his noodles down. Soon after, Sasuke also began to eat. Sakura watched them with envy.

"Sakura-chan, are you sure you're not hungry?" asked Naruto. "You don't look that good."

She smiled, and gave a small wave.

"Nah, I'm..." she trailed off into silence, as, suddenly, a loud and disturbing growl was heard. She tightly clutched her stomach, barely managing to finish her sentence. _"Fine..."_

She gazed up at the Ramen shop manager, and gave a forced smile. "Do you have any dipping noodles?"

"Coming right up!" Teuchi said, immediately getting to making it. Sakura then slammed her head into the bar.

"NARUTO-NIICHAN!" yelled a boy from behind. Naruto was so startled, he nearly fell out of his seat, however, fortunately managed to stop himself by taking hold of the bar. Looking behind him, he realized it was Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi. He jumped down, leaving his empty bowl on the table.

"Konohamaru, what the hell are you doing here?" Naruto asked, suspiciously. "Aren't you three suppose to be at the academy?"

"Our teacher gave us the day off." Udon explained. "He said he had some important errands."

"But that's beside the point." Konohamaru quickly changed the subject. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"We want you to train with us!" Moegi told him.

"PLEASE!?" all of them begged in unison.

"Well... you see... the thing is..." Naruto fidgeted, trying to find to find the right words, as the three academy students stared at him with pleading eyes. "I-"

"Ah, Naruto." said Kakashi from outside, interrupting him. Naruto looked up, relieved.

"Kakashi-sensei, I want to train!" he demanded.

"Actually, I just about to tell you three to meet me at the bridge in an hour." Kakashi eye-smiled. "So that worked out perfect. Ja ne."

With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei, I..." Naruto called, to no avail. "Ah... Who am I _kidding._..?"

"Well?" Konohamaru tapped his foot. "Are you going to train us or not?"

Naruto looked back at his teammates, who were either finished, or _almost_ finished with their food, despite the fact that wondered how Sakura could've finished that fast. But there was no time to think about that. He knew for _a fact_ it would be very difficult to get out of this one if he didn't do something soon, so without another word, he grabbed Sakura and Sasuke by the hand. Sakura looked up with a mouth full of food, practically choking as he pulled her out the door.

"Hey, what are you-?" Sasuke started to ask, but stopped, replacing his words with a smirk. At that, they high-tailed it out there.

It took a moment before realization hit Konohamaru. Udon and Moegi looked at each other unsure of what to do.

"Hey!" Konohamaru yelled, looking over at his teammates. "What are you two waiting for? Let's go after him!"

Konohamaru ran up ahead. Moegi once again looked at each other blankly, before running to catch up with him AND their leader..

"Wait, for us Konohamaru-kun!"

_~ End of Chapter ~_

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**A/N:****_ Hope you liked it. If you can, review :)_**


	22. Return

**Story: ****_Shattered Truths, Chapter 22_**

**Disclaimer: ****_I don't own Naruto..._**

**Please Note: This is Re-uploaded.**

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_At the Bridge_

"UGH!" Sakura groaned, pacing back and fourth. "He said in an hour! It's been more like five!"

"Tch..." Sasuke responded, leaning against the railing. "What else is new...?"

"Yo." said Kakashi, suddenly appearing in cloud of smoke behind them, as he held a hand up in a way of greeting them. Sakura and Naruto glared at him, pointing a finger.

"YOU'RE LATE, KAKASHI-SENSEI!" they shouted in unison.

"A little duckling had got left behind, so I had to-" Kakashi tried to explain.

"YOU'RE A LIAR!" Sakura and Naruto interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. Sasuke grunted, looking away spitefully.

"Hehe, well... Let's get down to business, shall we?" Kakashi eye smiled, changing the subject immediately. Their expressions changed. Sakura's turned to a look of curiosity, her eyes full of wonder, while Naruto's changed to a look of determination, motivation, and excitement.

"That's right, what _are_ we doing, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura wanted to know.

"Yeah! I'm ready for anything. Believe it!" Naruto vowed, holding his fists up.

"Well,_ today,"_ Kakashi began, amused by his student's enthusiasm. "We will be discussing your chakra nature."

Naruto's expression dropped to a rather confused look, as invisible question marks appeared above his head. "Chakra nature...?"

"I figured you wouldn't know... Chakra nature is the element of chakra you possess." Kakashi explained. "There are five elements total. Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, and Electric. Take these."

He handed each of them a small slip of paper.

"What are these...?" Naruto questioned, taking note of the paper's rough touch, which felt sort of like sand paper.

"Those slips of paper will determine what your chakra nature is." Kakashi told them. "Focus your chakra into the center of it, and see what happens."

They closed their eyes, and did as told. After a minute, Sakura's crumbled into dirt, blowing away in the wind. Naruto's was split in half, and Sasuke's was crumpled from the center. Kakashi cocked an eyebrow. _'Just like his father.'_

"Looks like it's decided. Sakura, you're Earth nature. Sasuke, you're Electric, and Naruto you're Wind." he told them. "A perfect combination."

"Is it possible to have more than one chakra nature?" asked Sakura. Kakashi nodded.

"Actually, yes." he told her. "But not very many do. There are a few people, including myself, who possess two chakra natures. Sasuke, you also contain two chakra natures, because you use Fire style. Naruto, being a wind style can be very beneficial especially when your ally is a Fire style user. Wind makes fire stronger, and gives it an advantage."

Kakashi's gaze now turned back to Sakura, who had an I'm-nothing-but-useless look on her face.

"Sakura," he eye-smiled encouragingly. "Earth style users are typically efficient in genjutsu and distracting the enemy. You will be a good diversion, especially with enemies who mainly use close combat."

"Really?"

Kakashi nodded. "So cheer up. Kay?"

Sakura held up her fist. _'See that, Ino-pig?! I'm not so useful, after all! The hell with your ''mind transfer jutsu. HELL YEAH!'_

Naruto grinned.

"I got an idea!" he cheerfully announced. "Let's create a cool name, like Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji's 'Ino-Shika-Chou'. Maybe 'Naru-Saku-Sasu' or 'Uzu-Haru-Chiha'.

"I think I'll pass..." said Sasuke.

"Uh...I'm with Sasuke-kun." replied Sakura. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke appeared beside Kakashi.

"I appologize for the delay, Kakashi-san. The Honorable Grandson has been bugging me all day about wanting to train with Naruto. I had to do some explaining." said Ebisu, as the smoke subsided. "You must understand."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Kakashi waved dismissively. "I just got done explaining their chakra natures, anyway. Naruto apparently possesses wind."

"Ah, I see." Ebisu mused, pushing up his glasses.

"Naruto, this is the one who will be training you." Kakashi explained, as Naruto's eyes widened.

"YOU MEAN THAT PER-?!" he exclaimed, unable to finish his sentence, before Ebisu quickly covered his mouth, cutting him off.

"I buy you ramen for the next week, AND teach you a Special A-Rank Ninjutsu if you don't say another word." Ebisu bargained secretly. Naruto nodded. The Special Jounin looked up, taking notice of the stares he was receiving.

"Ah, what he meant to say was, 'that perfect trainer'." he smiled, then hissed, _"Right, Naruto?"_

"Yeah, that's right!" Naruto nervously laughed, taking a moment afterward to glare at him with a spiteful, you-better-keep-your-word kind of look.

"I assume you both have met before." Kakashi said. "That makes it even better. Well then, I'll leave him to you, Ebisu."

"Right." Ebisu nodded, placing a hand on Naruto, doing a single-handed hand sign. "Come now."

"Huh? Ka-" Naruto began to say, however, both he and Ebisu disappeared before he was able to finish.

"Th-they're gone." Sakura stammered, in the midst of confusion. "Kakashi-sensei, aren't we suppose to stay with him?"

"No need to worry, Ebisu will drop off Naruto at his house at the end of the day." Kakashi explained. "You two will be back by then. Now let's get to training, shall we?"

The Pink-haired Kunoichi still didn't fully get everything, but pushed her thoughts aside, and nodded. Meanwhile, over at Konoha Hot Spring, Ebisu and Naruto reappeared. Naruto looked around, baffled.

"What the hell?" Naruto exclaimed. "Why are we at Konoha Hot Springs?"

"This is your first training spot." Ebisu began, looking over at the top of the roof, as his mouth dropped. "You up there, what are you doing?!"

Naruto turned to look at what his 'teacher' was talking about.

"One pretty woman...two...three...four...I'VE HIT GOLD!" none other than the toad sage, Jiraiya, said as he looked through his telescope, admiring the giggling women, as they ran about, happily splashing water on each other. "_kukuku_...Due to this research, my next book is _sure_ to be success."

_'He's an even bigger pervert than The Old Man, that guy, AND Kakashi-sensei together.' _Naruto realized.

"I shall not allow such intolerable behavior to go on while I'm training a student!" shouted Ebisu, advancing toward the sannin. Jiraiya shot a glare, "And what do you plan to about it? A person with your standards couldn't possibly understand the values of discovery!"

Suddenly, the women just happened to overhear them, and ran off squealing. Jiraiya looked back with a pained expression.

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY RESEARCH!" he cried. "You'll pay for this!"

He bit his thumb, and created a few hand signs, as he placed the same hand on the ground, summoning a humongous toad underneath him. "Summoning jutsu!"

Naruto looked up, admiring the giant toad and it's master. _'That's so cool...'_

he thought, looking up at the giant toad in front of him. It was several different colors, including a dark orange, gray, and red. It's eyes had red rings surrounding them. To Naruto, it was truly amazing to be able to summon something like that. The toad gazed down, taking notice of Ebisu who was headed up his arm.

"What you've done I cannot allo-!" he yelled, as the extra long tongue of the toad suddenly swooped down sending him to the ground with a crash. He lied there in extraordinary pain, flat as a pancake, as his mouth hung wide open.

"Ow..." he groaned, immediately passing out. Naruto ran over beside him.

"Pervy-sensei! Are you okay?!" he exclaimed. After no response, he examined the Special Jounin's facial expression, realizing he was going to need another teacher. He looked at the toad's summoner.

Jiraiya grinned, placing a hand in the air, as he danced about. "The Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, IS BACK IN THE HIDDEN LEAF!"

"Hey! You knocked out my teacher!" Naruto yelled, pointing a finger at him. "Now _you _can train me!"

"And why would I do _that?_" Jiraiya sent him a questioning gaze, as the summon disappeared and he'd jumped down. "Sorry, I don't have any time to waste on some kid. _(gives a __perverted smile)_ I've got 'research'to do."

Naruto suddenly gave a disturbed look, as Jiraiya began to walk off.

"You call peeping on women 'research'?!" he exclaimed. "You really _are_ a pervert!"

"I was not peeping!" the sannin retorted, defensively. "I was simply admiring the scene!"

A vein popped up on Naruto's forehead.

"Admiring the scene...?" he muttered. "THAT'S THE SAME THING, YOU OLD PERVERTED SAGE!"

"Is _not!_" Jiraiya shouted, his expression soon after changing to a more serious look. "Listen, kid. I'd love to sit down and have a full fledge conversation with you, but I really have work to do. Besides, I don't particularly like kids, so you're gonna have to find someone else to do your training."

"You're the only one who can!" Naruto protested. Jiraiya remained a few more seconds, before turning back to take off.

"See ya."

Naruto clenched his fists. _'If he isn't willing to train me,'_

"Then I'll have to use force!" he decided, as he created a single hand sign, summoning two clones. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

With that, they all three took off after Jiraiya, and jumped on top of him.

"You can't escape now. Train us!" they all shouted, as suddenly, the person who they'd thought was Jiraiya turned out to be a clone, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"It's a clone!" one Naruto announced.

"Damn him!" another cursed.

"Kai (Release)!" said the real one, releasing his shadow clones. He stood there sulking afterward. "I'm gonna make him train me if it's the last thing I do!"

_~ End of Chapter ~_

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**A/N: ****_Hope you liked it. Review!_**


	23. Hide and Seek

**Story:****_ Shattered Truths, Chapter 23_**

**Disclaimer:****_ I don't own Naruto..._**

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_With Naruto, Somewhere in the Village Center._

"Where is that old pervert?" he grumbled, walking around as he scanned the area. As he was walking by a clothes store, he became aware of a loud voice, coming from a nearby restaurant.

"HAHAHA! Of course I'll eat with you!" Jiraiya's voice echoed through the crowds, catching a few people's attention, as he flirted with the giggling girls. Naruto stopped to listen, barely managing to keep from laughing. "There's no way I'd turn down an offer like that!"

_'If that jerk had time to flirt with pretty women, then he certainly has time to do some training.'_ thought Naruto, trotting over to the restaurant, as he walked through the door flap.

"You old pervy flirt, YOU OWE ME TRAINING!" he demanded. Jiraiya looked up, along with three other women wearing dresses.

"If you have enough time to be 'researching' and peeping on women, even _flirting_ with them, you certainly have the time to do something like training!" Naruto shouted, catching even more people's attention than before. The girls looked at Jiraiya with disgust.

"You filthy old pervert!" one of them shouted, slapping him hard on the cheek.

"There's no need to be so-" he started to say, however, was unable to finish his sentence before he was thrown out of the restaurant.

"And stay out!" the women yelled in unison. Villagers were gathered around, whispering among themselves.

"Ow..."Jiraiya moaned, rubbing the side of his face, which had turned pink._ 'What is it with that kid?'_

One of them gave Naruto a tender smile, as they let him through and held up the door flap for him.

"Now, train me." he said simply, standing over him, as he folded his arms. The Sannin looked up, not one bit amused.

"If you think you've won, you might as well think again. I don't give up_ that _easily, brat." he said, creating a hand sign. "Teleportation Jutsu!"

Suddenly, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and a few minutes later, at the entrance of a nearby forest, he reappeared beside a tree.

"Phew..." he sighed, leaning back as he wiped his forehead. "That was a close one... Looks like I lost him."

"Lost who?" someone inquired from behind. Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"You don't give up, do you?"

Naruto smirked. "I'll pursue you to the ends of the earth if I have to. I'm _gonna_ make you train me."

"Ha! We'll just see about that." replied Jiraiya. "Teleportation Jutsu."

Once again, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Naruto sulking. '_How long is he going to keep running away? There's no time to complain though, I've got to find him. The Chuunin Exams are coming up soon. I've got to learn some cool Jutsu so I can get stronger.' _

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he said, as clones upon clones, upon even more clones, appeared, surrounding him, and filling half the forest.

"Let's do this!" one shouted. "Let's find that Pervy Sage and make him train us!"

"We're gonna teach him what the son of Fourth Hokage is made of!" another added in agreement. "He's gonna remember the name 'Uzumaki Naruto' for the rest of his life!"

"YEAH!" the rest of them responded in unison.

"Spread out!" the real Naruto ordered. High above where they were standing, Jiraiya had heard the whole thing. He chuckled._ 'I would've never imagined him, of all people, to be Minato's son. He's totally clueless. This kid reminds me of myself when I was his age. Hm...I better get out of here before he catches me.'_

Using Teleportation Jutsu, he appeared somewhere else in the forest. All the while, Naruto's clones were all spreading out into the village everywhere, including the training field.

"Let me try again." said Sakura, holding a big rock in the center of her hand. A moment of concentration passed by, as she closed her eyes, focusing her chakra into the center of her hand. Suddenly, the rock began to rise, then exploded. Dirt shot everywhere. "Earth Style; Rock Explosion!"

"That was very good." Kakashi noted. "I expected you to get it about now. You have a high chakra concentration level. Your next step will be-"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto hollered, interrupting him, waving from the distance. He and two other clones approached them. Sasuke looked up from what he was doing, shocked to see Naruto by himself.

"Have you seen a big old man pass by?" one clone asked. "He has long and thick white hair. Earlier he summoned a giant toad and knocked out Ebisu-sensei. I ran after him to get _him_ to train me, but he used the Teleportation Jutsu to get away, so I ran to the village center to find him, and when I did, he was flirting with some women at a restaurant. He was kicked out and used the Teleportation Jutsu again. The next place he ended up was somewhere in the forest. He escaped AGAIN, so I used my Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu to find him, but I really need some help!"

At this point, the clone bent over, panting from lack of breath because of how fast he'd been speaking. Kakashi studied at him, knowing exactly who this person was._ 'Master Jiraiya has returned. This is interesting...' _

Sakura looked at Kakashi, wondering what he was going to do, until he bit his right thumb, causing blood to ooze out. He did a few hand signs, then placed his hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" he stated, summoning Pakkun.

"Hey, Kakashi, what's up?" the dog asked in a deep and husky voice, gazing up at Kakashi with a questioning expression. All three Naruto's looked at the dog, their minds doing back flips when hearing the it talk. Kakashi eye-smiled, scratching the back of his head, as he studied the clones' confused expressions.

"D-did that dog just talk?"

"Pakkun, I have a little favor to ask of you." the Jounin explained, bending down to whisper in the dog's ear. "I want you to find Master Jiraiya for these clones. The boy is really enthusiastic..."

The dog sighed. "Very well."

Sniffing the area, he almost immediately picked up on his scent, and ran into the forest. Moments later, a loud and rather disturbing roar of agony was heard in the distance. _"MOTHER OF DEVILS!"_

Realizing it was Jiraiya, the clones immediately ran off to locate to locate the dog and it's 'prey'. When they got there, they saw Jiraiya on the ground, tightly clutching his butt, with tears of agony streaming down his cheeks. Pakkun sat next to him, scratching the back of his ear with a complete lack of empathy.

"Why did you bite me, you damn dog?!" he demanded.

"Sorry, it was orders from Kakashi." Pakkun answered. "He told me to find you for them."

_'That kid isn't giving up.' _Jiraiya realized, looking up at the clones, as he took note of the determination on their faces._ 'If I continue running away from him, I'm not only going to lose my sanity, but I'll probably lose some body parts, possibly, my life as well...'_

"You win..." he mumbled. "I'll teach you..."

"What was that?" one clone asked.

"I said you win..." he mumbled a little louder.

"I didn't quite catch that. Could you say it a little louder?"

Jiraiya's eye twitched. _Was he mocking him?_

"I said...I GIVE UP! YOU WIN! I'LL TEACH YOU!" he shouted so loud, it caused a flock of birds to fly off. Two clones disappeared, leaving only one Naruto.

"You didn't have to say it so loud..." he replied, holding his ear. "My ears are sensitive..."

Jiraiya at this point felt like screaming, but somehow managed to hold back the temptation to do so.

"You really are persistent..." he acknowledged. Naruto gave a wide toothy grin, clasping his hands behind his head.

"That is my Nindo, after all." he laughed in agreement. "I never give up."

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**A/N:****_ Hope you liked it, Review!_**


	24. Discussion

**Story: ****_Shattered Truths, Chapter 24_**

**Disclaimer:****_ I don't own Naruto..._**

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"Okay," said Jiraiya, as him and Naruto approached a pile of wood and timber in the forest. "First thing's first. There's something we need to discuss. Take a seat."

He pointed to a thick log. Naruto gave a boring expression that said, "I want to train, not talk.", but sat anyway. Jiraiya sat on a nearby log as well, as he gathered his thoughts, ignoring the look on Naruto's face.

"I'm sure you're aware by now that the Kyuubi lives within you, am I correct?" he questioned. Naruto gave a small nod, eyes downcast as he clutched his stomach.

"When you're overcome with emotions, the Kyuubi will try it's best to take over your body. Despite how tempting it may be, you must never trust him. You'll only end up hurting those around you, and those close to you." The Sannin told him. "I'll be teaching you how to control some of it's power."

"You mean it's possible to control the Nine Tails?" Naruto asked, surprised. Jiraiya sighed.

"Not exactly," he nodded. "You can't control the Nine Tails, but you can draw from it's power and use it to your advantage. Do you ever remember releasing the Nine Tails under any kind of circumstance?"

Naruto thought for a moment, placing his finger on his chin, then suddenly recalled his and Sasuke's battle against Haku. He had felt some sort of power other than his own. He didn't remember anything after that.

"Well, there was this once," he answered, trying to remember as many details as he could, even though his memory was kind of fuzzy, due to the fact it'd been about a month since. "Sasuke and I were fighting this guy named Haku. He started to attack me, but Sasuke protected me, and I thought he was dead, so I lost control of my emotions. I was so angry. I really wanted to kill him. I wasn't thinking about much of anything else at the time. That's when I when my mind went blank. I don't remember anything past that point, until I saw Haku's face and realized I'd met him before..."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. _'Just as I thought...'_

"Naruto, before you blacked out, how would you describe your chakra?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "If I were to describe my normal chakra by a color, it would be blue, but this was red... All of my blue chakra had been completely taken over, and the red chakra was consuming my body. It felt like I was burning from the inside. Then everything went black. That's all I can remember..." he said. Jiraiya studied him, noticing his troubled expression.

"I see..." he whispered. "Naruto, you must be aware of the fact that there will various people from all over that will try to take that power to use it for their advantage. Never let your guard down, not even for a minute. It could be the end of you. If you want to live a long life, you've got to get stronger, and that's where I come in."

The Toad Sage grinned, pointing at himself. "As long as I'm here, I'll have your back."

He yawned, getting up to stretch. "Well it's about time we call it a day, don't ya think?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Wait, what?!" he exclaimed. "We didn't even do anything. You old coot!"

The Sannin laughed. "We can do it tomorrow. I need to take a soak in the Hot Spring."

It took a moment before realization finally hit Naruto. He glared, pointing a finger.

"Don't give me that bull! I _know_ what you're after!" he retorted. Jiraiya smirked, even though he really _was _tired. He had just returned from his twelve-year journey around the world after all, and he hadn't that much sleep in the past few days.

He turned around. "C'mon let's go... Tomorrow, we'll begin your training. But right now, you need to rest."

Naruto folded his arms, sulking. He reluctantly followed behind.

_Konoha Hot Springs Dressing Area..._

"Ah that felt great..." Naruto said, laying against the wall, as he started to doze off.

"You got that right." Jiraiya agreed, as he gazed over to see that Naruto had fallen asleep after getting his clothes back on.

'That kid certainly is something..." he thought, sighing. He walked over and gently picked the boy up, holding him over his shoulder. At that, he made his way out of the Hot Spring, into the darkness of the night.

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**A/N:****_ What did you think? This one's kind of short, but it's best place I could find to end it. Review :) By the way, what'd you guys think 'bout my Shattered Truths Cover?  
_**


	25. Thinking Back

**Story: ****_Shattered Truths, Chapter 25_**

**Disclaimer:****_ I don't own Naruto._**

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Kakashi stood on the top of a building, leaning against the railing as he read his book. Flipping the page, he became aware of someone's presence.

"I see you haven't changed at all, Kakashi. " said Jiraiya from behind, holding Naruto on his shoulder, as he approached, giving a sulky scowl. "It still hurts from where your dog bit me, you know."

Kakashi looked up, eye smiling, as he_ (for once)_ put up his novel. "Sorry about that. I'll take him off your shoulders if you want."

Jiraiya nodded, as Kakashi took Naruto. He thought for a moment.

"It's hard to believe that brat is actually the Fourth's son," he noted. "but, at the same time, it's so obvious. He shares so much of a resemblance, it's laughable."

"I know..." Kakashi agreed, looking up at the moon. Though it may not have been full, it was still very bright. "They're just alike, regarding persistence, would you not agree...?"

The sannin sighed. "That's for sure... He just doesn't know when to give up. I wasn't even able to do my research thanks to him. His meddling resulted in those beautiful women kicking me out of their restaurant."

"He doesn't understand the value of your research." Kakashi said. "I can't blame him, though. He's still just a kid."

"He reminds me of myself when I was his age." Jiraiya mentioned, thinking back to his days as a genin. Back then, he was totally clueless as to what was just _waiting_ to be discovered. He wasn't interested in a single soul, until being put on a team with Tsunade, but even then, he had no _real_ understanding of anything, until after becoming a Jounin. "I was totally clueless back then. I had no understanding of what real _discovery_ was, until years later..."

He turned around. "Anyway, I've got to go. There's something I need to discuss with the Third."

Kakashi nodded. "Right, I've got to get him home. He must be tired."

"Yes, he fell asleep right after getting his clothes on when we were in the dressing area of the Hot Spring..." he told him. "Well, see ya."

With that, he took off, leaving Kakashi, who left in the opposite direction a moment later.

* * *

Hokage's Office

"Anko, as in the past, you will be in charge of the survival exam in the Forest of Death." said the Sandaime. Anko nodded understandingly.

"I understand, Hokage-sama." she replied.

"Hayate, the same goes for you. You will be in charge of the preliminaries and final exam, just like before, however, this year, there will be no written exams, as they will be replaced with the partner exam."

"Is that why Ibiki is not here?" Genma wanted to know.

"Yes..." the old man replied.

"Excuse me," said Izumo, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. The Third Hokage looked up.

"What is it?"

Izumo thought for a moment. "What exactly is the partner exam? I'm kind of new to this."

"Um, I was wondering the same thing." said Kotetsu. Kiba's mother, who was standing beside him didn't seem to know much either. The Hokage sighed.

"In the partner exam, everyone will be teamed up with two other Shinobi than their original teammates." he explained. "Each team will be given one of three types of scrolls to protect. They must get all three scrolls and deliver them to the Preliminary exam stage. It will be very similar to the survival exam, except for the fact they will be permitted only a certain amount of weapons, and materials to use. The point of this is to see how well they can cooperate with others, and to see how good they put their own abilities to use. The Woman in charge of this exam is Jounin, Shizou Hazuki. She is currently absent, as of right now. However, he should be back soon. Is this all understood?"

Everyone nodded. The Third observantly gazed around the room, his fingers clasped in front of his mouth.

"Very well, you all are dismissed..." he told them.

"Hai." Everyone bowed respectfully, before leaving the room.

"Everyone in the village is anxious about the upcoming exams." said Jiraiya, standing in the window behind the Hokage's desk.

"Long time, no see, Jiraiya." said Hiruzen.

"It's been a while, Sarutobi sensei," the sannin smirked.

"So it has..." the old man replied. "Tell me, what is it you wish to speak about? Surely you didn't come here just to catch up on good times, did you...?"

"Actually, " Jiraiya mentioned. "it's quite the contrary for the most part, however there's something important that I believe I should probably bring up. It's pertaining to the Nine Tails..."

* * *

**A/N:****_ Hope you like it. Review. :) _**


	26. Memorable Laughter

**Story: ****_Shattered Truths, Chapter 26_**

**Disclaimer: ****_I don't own Naruto._**

* * *

_Naruto's Apartment_

Naruto awoke to a smell of which he'd never smelled before. Whatever it was, it made his stomach growl. He gazed around to notice that Sasuke was out of the room, even though Sakura was still sound asleep on the sofa. The door to the kitchen had been left ajar, allowing a small amount of light to seep in through the crack.

Getting up, he rubbed his eyes, groggily making his made his way into the kitchen.

"You're up early." noted Sasuke, who was standing at the stove, his back turned to his teammate. Naruto looked up, taken by surprise. He stared in shock, having never been able to imagine that Sasuke actually cooked. Or rather, that he _cared _to cook.

"Eh?! Sasuke, you mean you cook?!" he exclaimed.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, giving a calm shrug. "is that really a surprise to you?"

Naruto gave it a thought for a moment, before remembering that Sasuke also lived by himself, and it was only natural that he could've been forced into learning a thing or two about cooking since he had no one at home to cook for him.

"Well, no, it's just, I would've never expected you to..." he stammered, struggling to find the right words.

"My mother taught me a few things here and there when I was younger," Sasuke told him, grabbing a few dishes from one of the cabinets. "and I learned some things on my own. It's no big deal..."

"I see." said Naruto, as he pulled out a chair, taking a seat at the table. He pondered it for a long time, before smiling sadly. Kakashi didn't have much say so about his mother, so he couldn't help but wonder if she'd also known how to cook.

"What are you guys making in here...?" Sakura questioned groggily, stepping in the room. Naruto was immediately knocked out of his thoughts when she took a seat beside him, rubbing her eyes. He looked up, about to say something, when he heard a click as Sasuke cut off the stove, and came over, placing a plate, and a pair of chopsticks in each of their spots. The plates contained omelets and steamed rice.

"Oh, wow, this looks good." Naruto commented, his mouth watering. Sakura smiled, nodding in agreement. Walking back over to the counter, he picked up three glasses, along with a jug of orange juice. After handing them both a cup, he took his seat, allowing them to pour the amount they wanted.

"Itadakimasu," Naruto and Sakura in unison. Sasuke also said it, but in more of a whisper. With that, they broke their chopsticks and began to eat.

"Delicious!" Naruto cried, throwing his arms up in the air. Sakura jumped back, startled. She giggled, blushing at Sasuke.

"Wow, Sasuke-kun, this is really good." she acknowledged, taking a bite of her steamed rice. "I would've never thought you could cook this well. Even Naruto thinks so."

Sasuke stared at them with a somewhat confused expression. He'd never really considered himself to be that great. Then again, who else had he made food for other than himself? For some odd reason, seeing them smiling and laughing like that, it caused a brief flashback to pop into mind. It went back to when he was very little. He was sitting at the table happily laughing and smiling with his family. That was one of the few times he could remember his father laughing, or even even smiling for that matter.

Somehow, this gave him a good feeling. A good feeling in which he couldn't place.

"Th-Thanks..." he replied, unsure of what else to say.

* * *

_At the Bridge_

"...He's late." Sakura said simply, after they'd been waiting for four and a half hours past the original meeting time. "...Again. He said to meet him here at nine, and we end up having to wait over four hours after that. Why does he always do this to us...?"

She pulled her legs up to her chest, sighing. Naruto was in the same boat, with the same thoughts. He leaned farther back against the railing.

"I'm beginning to think he does this on purpose, just to piss us off..." he grumbled. Sasuke grunted, seemingly calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was down right irritated. Suddenly, their 'Sensei', if you could even call him that, appeared in a cloud of smoke, holding up a hand.

"Morning, guys." Kakashi eye smiled, as Sakura and Naruto shot up from their spots. They glared at him, growling beneath their breath. "Sorry, I'm late, there was a old lady who need help with some bags, so I-"

Sakura pointed a finger, a vein popping out her forehead.

"Don't you mean 'Good afternoon?!'" she retorted, interrupting him.

"'Helping and old lady' my ass!" Naruto angrily shouted. "It doesn't take a brain to figure _that_ one out! You don't take four hours to carry a few bags! You just don't. You were probably home, or up in a tree, reading one of that old Pervert's novels!"

Sasuke looked away, grunting. Their sensei chuckled, as he gazed around at them, eye smiling innocently._ 'Well, Obito, it seems I've become just like you. They don't believe me.'_

"Well, guys, why you say we down to business?" he inquired. A look of realization appeared on Naruto's face, lighting up his mood. Sakura expression softened, and gleam of curiosity filled her eyes.

"That's right. Where is that pervert at anyway? He said he was going to train me." Naruto wanted to know. Kakashi raised a finger in a slight instructive manner.

"Ah, that's right, today, we'll be going off on a mission. Master Jiraiya be accompanying us along the way." he told him. Sakura though for a moment.

"Sensei, where will we be going?" she wanted to know

"Actually, I'm not fully certain yet." he admitted. "You three are to meet in the Hokage's office in exactly one hour. There, you will be given the details and whereabouts of the mission. Is this understood?"

They nodded in unison. Kakashi prepared to leave, until he remembered something. He gazed down at them, more specifically, at Naruto.

"Oh, word of advice, We will probably be gone at least four or five days, so you'd do best to bring a change of clothes and something you can sleep in. Well, bye bye."

That's when Sakura suddenly remembered something. She held up a hand.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei..." she trailed off into silence, realizing to already to late, for he'd poofed away in a cloud of smoke. She slowly dropped her hand to her side, as she bent over, sighing depressingly.

"It ticks me off how he's so slick like that... He just says 'bye bye' and disappears before you can protest. He leaves you no choice in the matter..."

"We should probably get going." suggested Sasuke calmly, turning around to walk off. He glanced over his shoulder at them, smirking. "After all, I'm sure you don't want others to perceive you to be like him, _do_ you?"

Naruto and Sakura looked up, and stared at him in bemusement. That was the first time they could recall Sasuke_ ever_ joking around. Glancing at each other, they couldn't help but laugh at the thought, as they ran over to catch up with him. Naruto elbowed Sasuke teasingly.

"Hehe... Yeah, to have that stigma attached, it's pretty bad."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the village, a certain silver haired Jounin came to a hault, as he let out a sudden sneeze.

_~ End of Chapter ~_

* * *

**A/N: ****_Actually, having a math teacher who has Kakashi's bad habit of being late is all I could ever want. But still, if I was in the Naruto world, I would want either Asuma, Iruka, Kurenai, or Minato as my Sensei. They're all great people. In fact, if I was in the Ninja academy the first year Naruto had failed, I might would purposefully fail, just so I could befriend him and Iruka. But, none the less, Minato, Kushina, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Naruto are my five favorite characters out of all of them. I couldn't pick between them for the life of me. Anyway, what did you think? Review. _**


	27. Moving Foreward

**Story: ****_Shattered Truths, Chapter 27_**

**Disclaimer: ****_I don't own Naruto._**

**A/N (Important):**_** I'm thinking about having some original Jinchuuriki because I don't know much aboutof some of them. Don't worry, I'm definitely keeping the main ones like Gaara, Killer Bee, and possibility Utakata, but I may replacing some of the others, simply because of the fact the Manga, nor Anime gives enough information about them. If anyone wants me to do this, and you have an originally Jinchuuriki in mind, I need their names, their power, and most importantly, their personality, not to mention, which village they came from. Even some of their background history if you can. You can either send me a private message or just review. If you DON'T want me to replace any of them, just review and say otherwise. Thanks.**_

_**On to the story. **_

* * *

_The Hokage's Office_

"You will all be serving as bodyguards on this mission." the Sandaime explained, gazing around the room. Five different men stood next to his desk. They all wore more of a traditional style of Japanese clothing, along with mens' Zori Sandals, but it was nothing particularly special. Two of them were wearing straw sun hats, both with a red string tied around them. They all had matching navy blue travelers' bags like those of which people in The Leaf Village, any village for that matter, were commonly seen with. "These five men are holding an important crystal and are to return it to their home safely. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the end for us. Your destination is a small town somewhere in between the Waterfall Village and the Rice Field Country, right past the Valley of the End. It's known as 'The Land of Hills'. The trip there should take approximately five days, so you will be making four different stops along the way to rest. Once there, you will be greeted by a man named 'Kamaji', who will bring you to a particular stone pillar. Kakashi, you are to seal the crystal within that stone. Is this all understood?"

Most everyone in the room nodded, except for Naruto, Kiba, and Sakura, who was clutching her chest tightly, her other free hand trembling at her side.

"Hokage-sama, if you don't mind me asking..." she trailed off into silence, with a troubled look on her face. The Third looked up, noticing this.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"What is the rank of this mission...?" Sakura nervously spoke. "On our mission in the Land of Waves, we were attacked unexpectedly by some Rouge Ninja. Do you think something like that could happen again...?"

Naruto looked away, painfully remembering her cries when they thought Sasuke had died. It caused him to feel a ping of guilt in his chest and was something he never wanted to experience again.

The old man sighed to himself. "...I can't guarantee any person's safety on this mission, nor can I guarantee that the same thing won't happen again."

At hearing that, Sakura's gaze dropped. "I-I see..."

"As I said, if that crystal they're protecting were to fall into the wrong hands, it may not turn out very well for anyone. There is a possibility you could be attacked by Ninja from the Hidden Stone. So that is why this is considered a B-Rank Mission. I would've originally assigned Jounin to this mission, but having that there were no more available ones, I had him to come along with you." he explained, glancing over at Jiraiya, who walked over, standing behind Sakura, Ino, and Hinata. He placed a hand on Ino and Sakura's shoulders pulling a three girls close together.

"You pretty ladies don't need to worry about a thing," he told them, giving one of his perverted grins, as he took a quick peek down at Ino's chest. "'Cause Jiraiya's got your back."

Naruto's eye brow twitched in disgust. _'More like 'your chest'...'_

Kiba seemed quite a bit irritated, and swore to himself that if this guy tried anything on Hinata, or even mentioned it, he was going to make him regret it. Akamaru let out a small growl, setting on Kiba's shoulder, to let him know what he was thinking.

"Don't worry, boy, he won't do anything." he whispered, before secretly giving the Sannin a look, not completely sure that he _wouldn't_. Then he darkly added a, "At least he better not...'

"Any further questions?" asked Sarutobi. Nobody did.

"Very well then, you all are dismissed." he told them, then looked up at Kakashi. "Kakashi, if you will, show them to the gates."

"Understood." Kakashi nodded, bowing respectfully, before he turned around, heading towards the door. He eye-smiled. "Follow me."

"Hai." replied Ino, and Hinata.

"Yeah..." Sasuke muttered.

"Right." Kiba said simply, following behind, as he grumbled something about not wanting to be on a mission with some pervert. He kept it beneath his breath, though, for he didn't particularly care to question the Old Man's decision, nor get in an argument with the flirt himself. Moments later, the Five Men bowed in unison before leaving the room. Sakura seemed a little bit distracted, along with Naruto, who gave her his it'll-be-alright trademark grin as they stepped out.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan." he told her. "I'll protect you no matter what. That goes for Sasuke too. There's no way I'd allow something like what happened in the Land of Waves to happen again. After all, a future Hokage has to protect his people."

She looked at him then smiled, laughing. "Y-yeah. You're right."

_'N-Naruto-kun...' _thought Hinata, watching from the side._ 'You're always so confident...Your presence and your smile... I was able to get this far only because of you. Just thinking of you gives me gives me strength. It makes me want to keep going. I've always wanted to tell you how I feel...but I..."_

Maybe one of these days she would finally be able to express her feelings him, but, until then, she would just have keep moving forward.

Jiraiya closed the door behind him as he went to catch up. By the time he did, they were already nearing the gates. Just as he approached Naruto, Ino jumped over, getting rather close to Sasuke. She smiled warmly at him, making, causing Sakura to glare at her.

"Sasuke-kun, if any of those bad Rouge Ninja try to hurt you, I'll make sure to protect you." Ino proclaimed, causing a vein popped up on her rival's forehead. She couldn't tell if she was trying to piss her off, or what, but one thing was certain. She wasn't going to lose Sasuke to _Ino_, no matter what.

"Leave him alone!" she yelled, as she charged over, pushing Ino away. "Sasuke-kun is mine, Ino-Pig!"

"Get real, forehead!" Ino retorted, holding up her fist. "There's no way Sasuke-kun would like a person with a huge forehead like you!"

"There's no way any guy at all could like a girl who nearly starves herself just so she can loose a few pounds!" Sakura roared. Ino clenched her fist.

"BILLBOARD BROW!"

"INO-PIG!"

They continued going back at each other, leaving everyone staring. Kakashi wasn't completely sure of what to do, and was kind of afraid to step in the middle of their little 'dispute'. Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who appeared to be somewhere in between sulking, depressed, and not to mention having the and-that's-my-teammate look on his face.

"Hehe... Just like the good 'ol days, huh, Sasuke?" Naruto elbowed him, snickering. Sasuke looked away, with irritation present in his eyes.

"Leave me alone..." he replied gloomily, walking up ahead. Naruto's elbow remained in the air, as he stared dumbfounded and confused.

"Hey, what did I say wrong?!"

_~ End of Chapter ~_

* * *

**A/N:****_ What did you guys think? _**_**If you think of a better name for this, I'd really appreciate it. Anyway, **_**_Review, and PLEASE express your opinion and what you want regarding my Author's Note at the top. Thanks._**


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